Love Your Enemy
by aresu
Summary: Iwa and Konoha have hated each other since the third great ninja war. What happens when events unfold that forces Iwa's most promising Kunoichi and Konoha's number one most surprising ninja to spend time together? Will they be able to overcome the hatred that shackles their nations or are they destined to be enemies forever?
1. Chapter 1: A Hope For Improvement

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.**

 **The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 1: A Hope for Improvement

-Somewhere in the Land Of Lightning-

"Hey old pervert, wait up!" Yelled Naruto as he called out to his sensei.

Uzumaki Naruto was a boy of fifteen years of age. He had blue eyes with spiky blond hair and three whisker marks on each cheek; wore a black and orange jumpsuit with a Konoha headband protector on his forehead. And right now was in a poor mood because of his old Sensei.

Said sensei was Jiraiya of the Sannin. Jiraiya was a tall man with spiky White hair tied in a ponytail that reached to his waist, and had red lines that ran down from his eyes. He wore a green kimono that was covered by a red haori. He also used a forehead protector, but unlike his Young apprentice his forehead protector had the kanji for 'oil' instead of the leaf symbol from Konoha like it was traditionally used by their Shinobi.

"I told you to keep quiet, you brat. And hurry up, we don't want to stay in the Land of Lightning for long" Said the Sage to his impatient companion, not slowing his pace despite the boy's protests.

"And would you at least tell me why are we here in the first place? You just left me alone like you always do to go around doing your 'research', and next thing I know you come back and tell me we need to go at once without explanation" The blond had an exasperated scowl on his face as he tried to keep up with his teacher's hasty pace. "And the only thing you told me was to shut up while we were in these lands. What is your deal, old man?" Continued to pester the blond.

Jiraiya, now as equally annoyed as his student, gave a frustrated sigh. "I told you to be quiet so we can pass through this region as discreetly as possible. But fine, since you won't do that anyway, I suppose I can tell you now" Seeing as Naruto had at least calmed enough to pay attention, he started explaining. "I just got a new piece of information from my spy network that could be useful and we need to address it as soon as possible" Explained the Sannin as patiently as he could, which at the current moment wasn't much.

"So, you mean when you leave me alone you actually do something else besides preying on poor unsuspecting girls to take notes for your dirty books?" Naruto's look of surprised skepticism just served to rile Jiraiya up.

"Of course I do! I take my job as Konoha's spymaster very seriously!" Naruto still looked unconvinced, however. "This Little expedition of ours is for your benefit, you ungrateful brat" Explained Jiraiya with indignation.

Now that seemed to strike a cord with Naruto, and in an instant, his impatience was replaced with excitement and curiosity. "Really? And what would that be, Ero-Sennin? A new Jutsu? A new training method?" The boy was almost bouncing on his heels at the prospect of learning a new technique.

"Something like that. I just got word from a trustworthy source of something that could boost your training. Did you know that the Hachibi Jinchuuriki from Kumo has complete control over his Biju?" Then the sage glanced at Naruto to see how the boy responded.

The information left Naruto speechless and wide-eyed for a moment. Complete control of a Biju? Was that even possible? He could control up to three tails while barely keeping his sanity. For Naruto, full control of a Biju was something that seemed so out of reach. If Kumo's Jinchuuriki could do that, he ought to be a truly formidable Shinobi.

Jiraiya, on his part, found Naruto's reaction to be amusing. "Yeah, amazing isn't it? And my source told me that, apparently, the Hachibi Jinchuuriki learned to master his Biju in a secluded island somewhere in the Land of Lightning. It seems that whatever is on that island was a key factor in learning to use the Hachibi"

Naruto was in complete awe at the news. Could a secret method for controlling Biju truly exist? He didn't know what to think of it, it seemed too good to be true. However, it also filled him with hope; if he managed to control that kind of power his dreams and goals could be within his reach: he could protect his precious people; he could have enough power to become Hokage, and he could take back Sasuke from Orochimaru's grasp. "Do you really think I can do it, Ero-Sennin?" Said Naruto with doubt, but more than that, he was afraid. The last time he attempted to control more than three tails of the Kyuubi's Chakra he almost ended up killing Jiraiya.

"It's worth checking out kid. If it helps you to control even one more tail it would still be worth it" Jiraiya's urgency, however, was that he was worried about Naruto's well-being. While he could say that the boy had improved amazingly in skill since he started his training trip, he was still nowhere near close to the strength he needed to take on a member of Akatsuki. They were strong. Having monsters such as Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisame was a testament to that. If the rest of their members were even close to the power of those two, then they truly were fearsome. But the most worrying thing on his mind was that Kumo's Jinchuuriki had complete control over his Biju and they still were planning on taking him on. Jiraiya himself couldn't think of a more dangerous thing than a fully realized Jinchuuriki, and the Akatsuki were confident enough in the power of its members to hunt such a beast of a Shinobi.

If those were the kind of foes that Naruto was up against, then the boy simply had no hope of coming on top, not at his current level. He needed to find a way for Naruto to get strong fast, and he needed it now. He had considered trying to teach the boy Sage Mode, but he didn't know how long it would take. Typically completely mastering Sage Mode took years, and it didn't warrant that you would be adept at it. If he spent that time teaching Sage Mode to Naruto and the boy didn't master it, then all that time would have been a waste, and that was a time that could have been better spent trying to make him stronger to face the Akatsuki before they made their move.

With Naruto pondering on his ability to control the Kyuubi, and with Jiraiya full of worry for his apprentice and godson, the walk quickly went silent. Naruto, noting the downed atmosphere that his teacher was expelling, raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but feel curious and confused for his master's strange behavior. _''What's up with the old perv all of a sudden?''_

Jiraiya soon realized that his gloomy demeanor was starting to make Naruto suspicious, so he promptly changed topics. "Anyway, we should make haste and get out of the Land of Lightning as soon as possible, well, at least its land. We have to look for a boat to start searching for that island. Even if the adjacent sea is still technically part of the Land of Lightning, Kumo doesn't keep as many close tabs on its sea like they do on its land."

All this caution further confused Naruto. "But Ero-Sennin, I thought we were neutral with Kumo."

"We are, but that doesn't mean that there isn't tension between the villages. Remember kid, neutral just means that we aren't actively trying to rip each other's throats, it doesn't mean that we are Friends." Explained the sage.

Naruto just squinted his eyes and put his hands behind his head."It's just so stupid, Ero-Sennin, to be always so hostile with each other for things that happened long ago, It just seems so petty. A peaceful future is a much better thing to aim for than keep an old conflict going, Dattebayo."

Jiraiya responded by exhaling a long breath and putting on a hopeful expression. "If only it were that easy kid. People won't forget past wrongdoings just like that, and a lot of times they are in their right to feel that way. Remember your Little Hyuga friend?"

That question seemed to surprise Naruto. "Hinata? Yeah. What of her?" He wondered what did Hinata even have to do with the current topic.

"Well, did you know that Kumo attempted to kidnap her when she was still a small child?" Asked Jiraiya with an edge in his voice, somewhat angry at remembering that event. _''And your mother Kushina too, but I can't tell you that''_ Thought the man grimly.

"Well, now that you mention it, I think Neji said something about it during our match in the Chunin Exams" Said Naruto, remembering the bitterness that the prodigy showed by the tragedy that event caused. But he still wondered what did that have to do with anything right now. ''But why are you asking, Ero-Sennin?''

The Sannin responded without even looking back. ''Before I tell you that I want you to answer me this first: Why do you think Kumo wanted Hinata for?''

Naruto once again squinted his eyes in focus, trying to think of any reason why anyone would have something against a shy girl like Hinata, and when she was a child no less. ''Ummm...for her eyes, I think?'' He barely recalled the reason that Neji had mentioned in the exams. The prodigy mostly explained his father's death and not much of anything else.

Jiraiya nodded, glad that his student knew at least that much. "The Byakugan is one of the three great Doujutsu, many would do anything to get their hands on such a powerful Kekkei Genkai."

"And what would have they done to her, Ero-Sennin? Raise her as one of their own?" Inquired the blond. Naruto knew Hinata and considered her one of his precious people, and he had a strong conviction that she would never leave Konoha, not even if they tried to convert her since childhood. However, Naruto failed to pick on the real meaning of the attempted kidnapping.

 _''Naruto, you are a good kid and you have a good nature, but that also makes you naive''_ Thought Jiraiya with a bit of sadness, as he knew that most likely in the immediate future Naruto would face hardships that will probably crush his good-natured spirit. If it didn't he could die in the face of the challenges that awaited him."Kid, being forced into loyalty to Kumo would have been the absolute best case scenario for the poor girl had the abduction been successful"

Naruto raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. That was a best case scenario?

"They could have taken her eyes and transplanted them into their own ninja. But what would most likely have happened is for her to become a breeding stock for life, and they would have still taken her eyes while at it" Explained Jiraiya darkly, driving home just how terrible her fate could have been.

Naruto widened his eyes with horror and repulsion at the thought of something so horrible happening to one of his close Friends. He finally understood the implications of the abduction. _''She would have been forced on birthing children for a rival village for the rest of her life. And those same children could have been used against her own home''_ Naruto literally couldn't think of a fate worse than that.

Jiraiya, for his part, just kept walking, letting all that sink in into Naruto. After a moment, he started talking again, deciding to reveal the point of his questions. "I'm telling you this so you can get an example of why is so hard for ninja nations to get along. That attempt on your friend was thwarted, but there are countless other terrible things done between ninja villages that never are. Kumo isn't even the village that we have the worst relationship with."

This topic of conversation put Naruto in a depressed mood, but he was still compelled to ask. "Then which one is?"

"That would be Iwa. And by far. In the last war, there was too much bloodshed on both sides, the scars are still too fresh for it to be any other way. But as you know, we won the war, so they are the ones that suffered the most casualties. To this very day, most Iwa shinobi would rather cut off their hand than shake it with a Konoha shinobi"

Finally, Naruto kept quiet, his downed mood not leaving any more wish in him to keep talking. While Jiraiya was glad that Naruto finally decided to be silent in their walk through Lightning country, he felt a bit guilty for making the normally cheerful boy so somber. _''I'm sorry kid, but those are the sort of things we must deal with in our ninja world. You have inherited my wish to look for a way of achieving peace between our nations, but you will have your work cut out for you. Still is important that you keep these kinds of things in mind''_ That was Jiraiya's last thought as they were arriving at a clearing to start preparing camp, as the evening was upon them.

Neither Jiraiya or Naruto realized that in one of the trees in the proximity, just out of sight, a Venus flytrap-like figure emerged from it; seemingly separating from it as if they had been one being. The flytrap-like extension opened to reveal a head with Green hair and a face with a White half, while the other half was black. The flytrap-like man was wearing a black cloak with red clouds.

"So it seems that the Kyuubi and Jiraiya of the Sannin are in Kumo looking for a better way to control the Biju's power" said White Zetsu with a carefree and mischievous attitude, but also full of malice. **"We should inform Tobi of this development"** this time, black Zetsu was the one who spoke, but unlike his White counterpart, he sounded much more serious and eerie. After that, Zetsu just sank again into the tree trunk until it left no sign that he had ever been there in the first place.

 **Author's note:**

 **So there it is, the first chapter. I decided to upload the first 3 chapters all at once to give a better feel for the story, so I apologize if they seem short. I promise future chapters will be way longer.**

 **So, tell me what did you guys think? Tell me if you liked it, if you hated it, or if I should hang myself. All jokes aside, seriously any constructive criticism is welcomed, after all, if I never get my flaws pointed at I can't fix them.**

 **Update: I know that The Land of Lightning is in Kumo and Kurotsuchi is from Iwa, it's all part of the story, don't worry. Everything will fall into place in due time.**


	2. Chapter 2: Old Grudges

**Hi, guys, here it is, the second chapter. I hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 2: Old Grudges

-Unknown Location-

A tall man wearing a black cloak with red clouds sat on a rock in a damp, dark cave. The dim light of night sky filtering through the entrance barely made it possible to see the man's outline. The strange man had short spiky black hair, and his face was covered by an orange mask with a spiral pattern that only left a hole for his right eye. He had his arm resting on his knee as he patiently waited for Zetsu to finish his briefing on the new Intel regarding the Kyuubi.

''... **and That concludes my report** '' finished black Zetsu dutifully.

The man just kept silent, thinking over this new bit of information.

''What should we do about this, Tobi? This could be a good chance to snatch the Kyuubi, even of it is a bit early'' Said white Zetsu with a toothy grin, restless for a plan of action.

Tobi could see what Zetsu was getting at; in all these years that Jiraiya took over Naruto's training, the man had been extremely cautious. Never stranding too far from his allies in the Land of Fire, should an attempt on the Kyubi be made. Adding the fact that Jiraiya was one of the strongest Shinobi alive, it was a situation that made very unlikely for the Akatsuki to go after the Kyuubi prematurely for one reason or another.

For Jiraiya to suddenly relinquish his -until now- overly cautious behavior meant that he either strongly believed in this new method of controlling the Kyuubi, or he was getting desperate in that particular endeavor that he would take the chance with anything half decent that he could get to improve his odds. It was probably the latter if Jiraiya's hasty attitude was any indication. Indeed, going for the Kyuubi right now would be the most logical course of action, however...

Zetsu's white half raised an eyebrow in curiosity at Tobi's hesitation. Capturing the Kyuubi at the moment was the logical step to take, for Zetsu at least.

''Zetsu, did you check on that other task I commended to you?'' Whatever Zetsu was expecting for Tobi to say, it wasn't that. ''Well?'' inquired Tobi once more, expectant for the plant-like man to continue.

Black Zetsu was the first to compose himself. '' **We did. Is just as you suspected. Ever since Kumo's perfect Jinchuuriki became public knowledge, the other nations have started to keep a closer watch on their Biju. They don't want to be left behind in the development of their Jinchuuriki, as a consequence, the security for them has been exponentially increased** '' Black Zetsu finished, and left his white half to elaborate.''Most of them aren't a problem; however, the Yonbi and the Gobi are going to be an issue.''

It was just as Tobi had predicted. Even if the villages were tightening the security around their Jinchuuriki, only those two presented a problem.

The Ichibi was the Kazekage. He was always going to be under Suna's full protection anyway regardless of what the other nations were doing. But Suna was the weakest of the five great ninja nations, even with all their security the only real threat was the Ichibi himself, and Akatsuki could handle him.

The Nibi and the Hachibi weren't nearly as closely watched, as Kumo was arrogant in their current position of having a fully realized Jinchuuriki to feel as if they were invincible. They could attack while they were careless and capture them both and quickly escape before Kumo had any chance to retaliate.

The Sanbi's current whereabouts were unknown to Kiri, and their only remaining Jinchuuriki defected, preferring to live in solitude as a missing-nin.

Taki was attempting to protect the Nanabi, but they were a minor village and pathetically weak to boot. A single Akatsuki member would be enough to wipe out the entirety of Taki without even breaking a sweat, even with their Hero's water.

However, the Yonbi and the Gobi were a different matter. Iwa had them under tight watch, and Iwagakure wasn't weak like Suna and Taki; unlike Kiri they still had both their Jinchuuriki, and they weren't being careless in their confidence like Kumo.

Even getting close to either of the Jinchuuriki would quickly bring the whole of Iwa's might on them. Even the Akatsuki would have trouble fighting two seasoned Jinchuriki supported with an entire powerful ninja village that had the most experienced Kage in all the elemental nations all at the same time. The most effective way of handling that situation was to find a way to isolate each Jinchuuriki and cut off the chance of them getting help from their village or fellow Jinchuuriki. Even if the Kyuubi was an easy pick right now, Tobi first wanted to think over the entire situation before making a move.

Zetsu felt like he had been waiting forever with how long Tobi had been quiet, at least the white half did. _''what are you scheming, Tobi? Don't keep me in the dark here''_ thought White Zetsu impatiently.

Black Zetsu was as calm as usual, seemingly not bothered at all by the long wait.

After taking his time, Tobi spoke at last. ''Zetsu, tell Nagato to arrange a members meeting. We need to have everyone on this''

''Oh, so you do have a plan, Tobi?'' Said white Zetsu, excited and relieved at the same time for finally being done waiting.

''Indeed. I may have a way for one situation to deal with the other'' And with that, the masked man disappeared by being absorbed in a spiral space distortion coming from his right eye.

Knowing that was his cue to leave, Zetsu sank into the ground, leaving the damp cave empty.

-Iwagakure no Sato-

Iwagakure No Sato was a village made of stone, surrounded by a mountain range and waterfalls. The buildings were carved out from the very same mountains of the region, making them like towers, and due to its hill-like structures, the paths between them had to be connected with bridges. The village had business of all kinds, with civilians and ninja going on about their daily routine. As one of the great five ninja village, it was a sight to behold.

And currently, their leader the Tsuchikage was eating in a small barbecue restaurant celebrating with his son, Kitsuchi; his bodyguard and family friend, Akatsuchi; and finally his granddaughter, Kurotsuchi.

''Akatsuchi, try to leave some barbecue for the rest of us. Even I may not be able to pay for all the food you eat'' Said the ruler of Iwa. Ohnoki was a very short old man, he had a long beard that reached to his chest and an almost as equally long mustache. Due to his age, his white hair only covered the lower half of his head, which he kept in a topknot, and had a red round nose. He wore a green flak jacket covered by a green coat with yellow borders.

''I'm sorry Tsuchikage-Sama, I'm just making the most out of this. Is not every day that you offer to pay for everyone's meal'' Said the voracious boy. Akatsuchi was a large plump young man, had small black eyes, a large round nose and seemed to have a perpetually happy-go looking face. He was wearing the standard Iwa uniform, which consisted of red clothes covered by a brown flak jacket, but he also wore a red bandanna over his head that had the metal plate of a forehead protector, and he kept a yellow scarf wrapped around his neck.

''Well this is a special occasion after all. Kurotsuchi has been waiting a long time for her Jounin promotion'' Kitsuchi was a tall man, he had dark eyes, a big nose and graying hair and beard. He was also wearing the standard red uniform of Iwa with brown flak jacket; and like Akatsuchi, over his head he also wore a red bandanna with Iwa's forehead protector insignia.

''Took you long enough to promote me, gramps. You know damn well I'm one of the best Shinobi in the village'' Said Kurotsuchi smugly. She was a young woman of seventeen -Almost eighteen- years of age. She was wearing the standard red Iwa uniform with brown flak jacket and forehead protector. However, her right sleeve was missing and wore black gloves on her hands. She also had a red skirt that showed her fishnet covered legs. She had pale skin and short black hair framing her face, but her most notable feature were her pupil-less pink eyes.

''Your head is hard as stone and your ego is too big for your own good. I first wanted to make sure that your judgment was fit for a Jounin'' Said Ohnoki in a matter of fact manner.

While it was true that she was one of their most skilled ninja, and probably their best Kunoichi, and at only seventeen years of age at that; she could be very overconfident, brash, and a bit immature at times, but there was no denying that she was a prodigy. There were even talks among the populace that she was well on her way to be the best option for Tsuchikage once Ohnoki retired.

Kurotsuchi just dismissed her grandfather's claim, waving her hand with a carefree smile. ''Yeah, yeah. Just you wait, old man, I'm gonna take your job before you know it. I'm just getting started by becoming Jounin. In fact, I bet I could beat most Jounin in Iwa''

 _''you just proved his point, Kurotsuchi''_ thought Akatsuchi with a sweatdrop on his head and a deadpan expression.

Ohnoki huffed in indignation at Kurotsuchi's careless attitude. ''That's exactly why I didn't want to promote you just yet. If you keep acting like that you will never be Tsuchikage''

''Though, you can't deny pops, that Kurotsuchi is strong for her age. If her skills keep growing at the rate they have been, before long she just might become our best candidate for Tsuchikage'' Remarked Kitsuchi.

''Not you too Kitsuchi! Don't go encouraging her behavior'' Said Ohnoki, exasperated at his son. Akatsuchi just laughed at their antics and Kurotsuchi soon joined him.

''Anyway, we are here to celebrate, and I would like to make a toast for Kurotsuchi's progress'' Said Kitsuchi, now standing up. ''May she continue making us and Iwagakure proud'' he said while lifting his cup. ''For Kurotsuchi''

''For Kurotsuchi'' echoed Akatsuchi and Ohnoki. And even some of the other client's joined in, also proud of the Tsuchikage's honorable granddaughter.

-Later that day-

Kurotsuchi sat on her bed as the late afternoon sunlight came through her window. She had a sad look in her eyes while she looked at a picture frame in her hands. The picture was that of a woman that looked strikingly similar to Kurotsuchi; in fact, if it hadn't been for her long hair and her more mature look she could have been a carbon copy of Kurotsuchi. In the picture, she had a serene but joyful smile while she gazed at a small bundle in her arms that could only be a baby.

The tomboy just kept stroking her fingers on the borders of the frame, wondering what would her mother say if she could see how far she had come in her Shinobi career. _''I got promoted, mom. Jounin, just the same as you''_ she sorrowfully tough with a sad smile as she kept staring longingly at the image of her mother. _''Wherever you are I hope you are watching me. On my honor, I swear I'll make you proud''_ Thought the girl with sadness.

''She always knew you were going to be a splendid Kunoichi''

Kitsuchi's words momentarily startled Kurotsuchi. She had been so immersed in her thoughts that she failed to notice her father in the doorway.

''D-Dad, I didn't know you were there. I was j-just...'' Flustered, she quickly put the photograph on her nightstand. She hated when others saw her moments of vulnerability, even if it was her dad.

''There is no need to feel embarrassed. Missing the people important to you is not weakness. I myself think about her every day'' Said Kitsuchi with a faraway look in his eyes while he leaned on the wall.

Kurotsuchi didn't know if 'missed' was the right word to use. To miss someone you had to remember the person. She had been too young -barely a year old- when her mother died that she couldn't recall her. If it weren't for her photograph she wouldn't even know what she looked like.

Her mother was just finishing her maternity leave when she went back to fighting on the front lines. After that it wasn't long until the war reached its culminating point and she went with the intent of fighting for a better future for her newborn daughter, only to be slaughtered by Konoha's Yellow Flash.

Her mom had always been the missing element for the true family that Kurotsuchi never had. She loved her father and grandfather, but her grandpa was the Tsuchikage and didn't have much time for them. Meanwhile, her father had his hands full doing his duty as a Shinobi and trying his best to raise his daughter properly by himself. And considering her only friend was Akatsuchi, she was essentially raised among men; which was probably the reason for her tomboyish attitude. And even tough she liked the way she was just fine and wouldn't change her personality for anything, the fact still stood that she always longed for a mother figure in her life.

She debated a bit before asking.''Dad...how was my mom? Was she as great as everyone says she was?'' Said Kurotsuchi with a melancholy that was rare in the normally brash and carefree girl.

Kitsuchi adopted a tender look as he looked at the sky through her window, reminiscing of times long past.

''No, she was better. She was the most amazing woman I've ever met. Also the most beautiful, in fact, in that department you take completely after her. Thank god for that'' Said Kitsuchi with a small smile to which Kurotsuchi replied with one of her own.

''She was calm and collected, but also kind, loving and nurturing. She was a true lady'' Said the man.

''Well, I definitely didn't inherit any of that'' replied his daughter with a forced laugh.

Kitsuchi glanced at the girl appreciatively. ''You are both great in your own right, Kurotsuchi. And I know that she would be very proud of the woman you have become and the one you have yet to become. She wanted nothing more than to watch you grow up, and loved you with all her heart.''

Kurotsuchi's eyes were moist at her father's words. Even tough it was not the first time she asked for details of her mother, she liked to ask once in a while to avoid forgetting about her memory as it was all that was left of her. Damn Konoha for what they did! and damn the Yellow Flash for taking away her mother and with her the family that never was.

''Iwa should make Konoha pay for their sins, dad. We are strong, we could crush Konoha. The Yellow Flash is not there anymore to save them this time. We should make them feel the same suffering that we do. Blood should be repaid in blood'' Said the girl darkly with a fierce look in her eyes.

The cold rage in Kurotsuchi's pink eyes made Kitsuchi feel uncomfortable. He gave her a disapproving look and tried to reason with her. ''We have talked about this before, Kurotsuchi. Konoha also lost a lot of people in the war. The damage both nations sustained was so great that I'm just glad we are still standing at all''

The young woman's anger just grew at her father's words. _''how can you leave them off the hook after all they did to us, dad''_ Thought the girl in repressed rage.''How can you forgive them so easily!? Are you fine just leaving everything like this? Maybe you didn't care about mom as much as you-''

The strength of the slap that interrupted Kurotsuchi was enough for it to be heard in the whole house. She lifted a gloved hand to her reddening cheek as she looked at her dad with a shocked expression.

''How dare you talk to your own father like that!? I miss her like you can't even imagine. She was the love of my life. But is precisely because I loved her that I know the pain of loss and I would never wish to put our people through the horrors of war again!'' Kitsuchi was all but shouting.

The rage in Kurotsuchi was so strong now that she finally snapped at him. ''You and gramps are just cowards! If I ever become Tsuchikage I will do what we should have done a long time ago and give Konoha what it deserves!''

Instead of hitting her again like Kurotsuchi expected, Kitsuchi just stared at her with the biggest look of disappointment he had ever given to her. ''Maybe dad is right. With that attitude, you don't deserve to be Tsuchikage'' And with that, Kitsuchi just turned and walked out of her room, leaving Kurotsuchi alone and seething with anger.

''Fine! You can keep being Konoha's bitch for all I care!'' She then took a step forward and smashed the door shut as soon as her father left, before throwing herself at her bed and buried her face in her pillow, staining it with wrath-induced tears. _''just you wait, I'll become Tsuchikage one day and I will burn Konoha to the ground''_

-The Tsuchikage's Office-

Ohnoki had had a long day, but he was finally wrapping up the last stacks of paperwork. He was finishing later than usual, as his little get together with his family put him behind in his work.

He was about to call it a day when he got a knock on his door. He groaned at his rotten luck. Was a little rest too much to ask!? He gave permission to enter and through the door stepped in one of his ANBU, his porcelain mask of an animal signaling him as such.

''Speak, hawk. It's been a long day, so out with it'' Demanded the tired old man.

The ANBU got on one knee and lowered his head as a sign of respect to his leader. ''Forgive my late intrusion Tsuchikage-Sama, but I have urgent news for your ears only''

Ohnoki raised an eyebrow in curiosity at that. ''Is that so? And what would this urgent news be if I might ask?''

''Our spies reported that Jiraiya of the Sannin is heading deep into the Land of Lightning along with his pupil'' Reported the ANBU in a monotone voice.

The Tsuchikage looked unimpressed and at the border of exasperation. ''I fail to see what is so urgent about it. I don't care what Jiraiya does, and he is in the Land of Lightning, let Kumo deal with it. It's not our problem''

''What is important to note is his apprentice. He is training the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki'' Continued the ANBU.

Now, that got Ohnoki's attention. ''The Kyuubi you say?''

 _''I see''_ thought Ohnoki, understanding what it meant: it was a Biju for the taking. If they captured the Jinchuuriki, extracted his Biju and sealed it in one of their own ninja they would not only reduce Konoha's military might, but Iwa would become the only village in all the elemental nations to have three Biju. Even Kumo would have to be wary of them, perfect Jinchuuriki or not. It was a golden opportunity and the idea was appealing, however...

''I see where you are coming from. But he is being guarded by Jiraiya of the Sannin, and he is no pushover. The amount of men we risk by sending them against Jiraiya is too high. And that is without taking into account that we would be trespassing into Kumo's territory. Should we fail, we risk starting a war with two other nations while throwing away military assets'' Explained Ohnoki.

''There is another detail and is perhaps the most important. Our spies have managed to find out that the boy not only is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, but also the only child of Konoha's Yellow Flash himself'' Continued the ANBU in the same even voice.

The Tsuchikage's eyes bulged out of his head at the news and got up on his chair with a single jump.

''What did you say!? The Yellow Flash's son? are you sure about this!?'' Asked the old man with urgency.

The ANBU stood up and pulled an envelope out of his flak jacket and handed it to him. ''That is a picture of the boy, the resemblance is uncanny''

The Tsuchikage hastily grabbed the envelope and pulled out the photograph. He stared wide-eyed and agape at what he was seeing. _''Is like seeing a ghost! he is practically identical to the Yellow Flash!''_

''If that wasn't enough, we also found out that he was born fifteen years ago, on October tenth. The same day the Kyuubi attacked Konoha''

Now Ohnoki had no doubt in his mind that he was the Yellow Flash's son. Jinchuuriki were typically picked from the Kage's family to more easily ensure their loyalty. What a better host than the Yellow Flash's newborn child? ''Do you know anything about the boy's abilities?''

''It is to our knowledge that he possesses the Summoning Contract with the toads, and already mastered the Yellow Flash's original Jutsu: the Rasengan. Jiraiya was the one who trained the Yellow Flash, after all, it is to be expected that he would want the man's son to follow in his footsteps''

The diminutive Tsuchikage had a scowl on his face and was grinding his teeth at what could be the second coming of Konoha's Yellow Flash, the same man that almost single-handedly turned the last war in Konoha's favor; the very same man that killed a thousand Iwa Shinobi in a single battle, among those casualties was Kitsuchi's late wife. Ohnoki had heard enough, now he had a choice to make. ''Good job for bringing this to me. You are dismissed''

The ANBU gave a bow to his leader and exited the office, leaving the Tsuchikage to his thoughts.

Ohnoki had already forgotten about his previous tiredness and knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep that night, as he had a lot to consider.

-Mountain range of Iwagakure-

Outside of Iwagakure and just far enough to avoid the village patrols, two men waited. They both wore black cloaks with red clouds and were using conical straw hats. However, one was a hunched figure that you could only see the upper half of his face as his lower half was covered with a piece of cloth. He also had what appeared to be a long, metallic scorpion-like tail that came out of the back of his robe.

The other figure was a young blond man with long hair that he kept in a high ponytail, and had a long bang hanging over his left eye. But the one trait that really drew attention were what appeared to be a mouth in each of his hands.

''What is taking him so long? I hate to be kept waiting'' Said the shorter one with a deep hoarse voice.

''You should really learn some patience, Sasori no Danna. After all, with that body, you have all the time in the world, un'' Said the blond man to his partner with a cheeky grin.

''Shut up Deidara, I'm not in the mood to be listening to your prattle'' Said Sasori with irritation to his partner.

''So touchy. You know, being so close to home makes me a bit nostalgic. I wouldn't mind leveling a building or two to remind my countrymen of the magnificence of my art, un'' Said Deidara while playing with some clay to pass the time.

''That trash you do with your clay isn't art. Art is everlasting, is something that can be admired for generations to come. And I told you to shut up'' Repeated Sasori.

''Your puppets are okay I guess, but nothing compares to the beauty of the power of an explosion. Hearing people's screams of terror as their houses crumble down just brings a tear to my eye'' Said Deidara, waving off off Sasori's previous comment.

Sasori was about to lash out at Deidara for once again failing to be silent when suddenly the same ANBU that had been with the Tsuchikage just an hour ago arrived in a Shunshin(Body Flicker).

''Took you long enough. How did it go?'' Asked the puppeteer at the Iwa ANBU.

The sleeper agent turned his head at Sasori and stared straight at him trough his porcelain mask and responded with a monotone voice. ''The Tsuchikage seems to have taken the bait. I expect him to mobilize against the Kyubi soon''

''How I would have loved to see old man Ohnoki flipping his shit when he found out about the boy'' said Deidara giving a small laugh.

''Then everything went according to plan. Return to your post, we are done here'' Sasori dismissed his sleeper agent and the ANBU went away the same way he had come.

''Now all that is left to do is wait for the perfect moment. If everything goes well we might just snag us three Biju at once, un'' Stated Deidara.

''You can wait by yourself. I'm not staying here doing nothing. I'll come back later when the time to act is right'' Said Sasori, turning away and walking in the opposite direction.

''Wait up, Sasori no Danna, we still have to report to leader-Sama. Hey, Sasori no Danna are you listening to me?'' Deidara caught up to Sasori and both walked away, intending on returning when all the pieces of their plan had fallen in their place.

 **Author's note:**

 **This is the longest chapter of the 3 first chapters I'm uploading.**

 **Remember, you can tell me anything you like or don't like about the story. Just please be polite about it, I'm still trying to improve my writing.**


	3. Chapter 3: Trouble On The Horizon

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 3: Trouble On The Horizon

-Iwagakure's Streets-

Kurotsuchi yawned as she made her way to the Tsuchikage's tower. She and her father had been summoned for a mission briefing at first hour in the morning and she was definitely feeling the lack of sleep. She would really like to know what could be so important that her grandfather needed them so early. They were two of his finest ninja, so she doubted it was for some trivial task, at least she hoped so. Having to get up at such an hour was bad enough, but having to endure walking with her Father so soon after their argument the day before was too damn awkward for her.

As they were arriving, she noted more Shinobi besides them entering the tower too. She wondered if they had been called for the same thing. Kurotsuchi and her father also entered and went up the stairs, and her suspicions were confirmed when she saw a considerable amount of ninjas gathering outside her grandpa's office. What really caught her attention was that most of them were Jounin. There were a few experienced Chunin and a bunch of Tokubetsu Jounin, but generally, all of them were highly competent Shinobi. _''What is going on here?''_ thought the girl, puzzled.

While gazing through the large hall she caught sight of a familiar figure ''Akatsuchi? Hey Akatsuchi, over here!'' the tomboy called out to her chubby friend with enthusiasm. Said boy turned around and looked at her with surprise.

''Kurotsuchi, I didn't know you were here too'' Responded the young man with his ever-present cheerful face.

''I just got here'' said the girl with a small smile. ''And speaking about it, do you have any idea of what's this all about?''

Akatsuchi just shook his head while giving a shrug. ''No idea really. I got called here so early I didn't even have time to get breakfast''

The young prodigy gave a sigh and turned her head to look in contemplation at the rest of the ninja gathered. ''Same on my end. I wonder what's gotten into the old man, there are too many high ranked Shinobi in here''

Akatsuchi frowned in worry. ''I just hope nothing bad has happened''

Kurotsuchi could only agree with him.

After a considerable amount of ninja arrived, they were called into the room. When they entered they could barely fit into the Tsuchikage's office even though it was relatively big.

After Kurotsuchi managed to find a spot for herself between Akatsuchi and her Father, She saw her grandpa floating over his desk with his gravity Jutsu. He was wearing his brown Tsuchikage hat with the Kanji for 'Earth' and had a stern and serious face, which only reinforced her suspicion that whatever was happening was something big.

Ohnoki scanned the room, looking briefly at every one of the ninjas present. After confirming everyone's attendance he gave a curt nod to his secretary, who then proceeded to close the door behind her as she left. The small man cleared his throat and went straight to the point. ''I know you are wondering why I summoned you here. And that is because it has recently come to my attention that Jiraiya of the Sannin has been training the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, and has currently entered the Land of Lightning for reasons still unknown''

Most of the Shinobi in the room had looks of confusion at the news, not understanding why that information was relevant. But Kitsuchi and a few of the more experienced Jounin started to catch up with their leader's intentions.

 _''Oh no dad, you wouldn't''_ Thought Kitsuchi, fearing where this was going.

The Tsuchikage continued, not caring for their reaction. ''This leaves Konoha's Biju the most vulnerable it has ever been. Your mission is to track down Jiraiya and his apprentice and retrieve the Jinchuuriki. Do what you will with Jiraiya but the boy has to be brought back alive to extract the Kyuubi. Due to the delicate political nature of this mission, along with Jiraiya's strength and the threat of a Jinchuuriki, this mission is classed as S-rank''

A collective gasp was heard at the details of the task at hand. Having to face a Sannin and a Jinchuuriki, while at the same time risking starting an open war with another nation was something to be nervous about, even if it was at Konoha's expense.

Kurotsuchi on her part couldn't have a wider grin. Her first S-rank mission! And a chance so to take Konoha down a peg or two? She was as ready as she could be.

Ohnoki was just about to wrap up the briefing. ''You will meet at the village gates in an hour. Aside from all of you I have recalled some of the ANBU with low priority missions to help you, their skill is more required at the moment. Kitsuchi will be the commander of this force. If there are no questions you are all dismissed'' Finished the Kage and waited for them to either go or voice a concern.

Everyone started leaving, except for Kitsuchi, who stayed behind staring at his dad in silence until it was only father and son in the room.

Ohnoki turned to look at his Son with a raised eyebrow. ''It's something the matter, Kitsuchi?''

Kitsuchi's face turned into a look of incredulity at his father's words. ''You ask what's the matter? This mission a mistake, that's the matter! You are risking starting a war when after all these years recovering from the third war we are finally at our former strength. And you are risking throwing away all that progress just for a single Biju!''

The small man narrowed his eyes at Kitsuchi's tone. ''This is a good opportunity for Iwagakure. If we succeed we could become the strongest village in the Elemental Nations by the mere fact of possessing three Biju''

His son couldn't accept his reasons. ''I can see that, but the risk is too great, is not worth it. I know you, dad; I know that there has to be more to it than that. What are you not telling us?'' demanded Kitsuchi.

The Tsuchikage frowned , deep in thought. _''Should I tell Kitsuchi? He's smart, I may be able to trust that he won't do anything stupid''_ Concluded the small man. ''Close the door'' He said plainly.

His son got curious about his sudden change in attitude, but he complied nonetheless.

When they sensed that no one was around anymore and the door was closed, the Tsuchikage started speaking again. ''What I'm about to tell you doesn't leave this room. You can tell no one, not even Kurotsuchi; no, especially Kurotsuchi. Do you understand?'' The old man looked intently to emphasize his point.

Kitsuchi was getting on edge at the odd secrecy, but he nodded in understanding.

Ohnoki closed his eyes and gave a loud sigh. ''The Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is the Yellow Flash's son''

Kitsuchi adopted a bewildered look, showing his reluctance to believe it. ''That can't be! The Yellow Flash's son?! Are you totally sure about this?''

His father nodded and raised his hand, he was holding a picture of a blond boy. ''I have received good Intel on him, along with this picture''

Kitsuchi looked over the photograph and widened his eyes in surprise. _''He looks exactly like that man! How are we just learning about this?''_

''And that's not all. It seems that Jiraiya has been training him in his Father's techniques. If we don't act now, in a few more years Konoha might have the next Yellow Flash that also happens to be the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. The Yellow Flash was bad enough, imagine how the war would have been if that man had had the strongest of Biju boosting his already lethal skills''Explained the small Kage, displeased at remembering their bitter defeat at the hands of that man.

Kitsuchi was silent in shock, and suddenly he realized why his father couldn't reveal this in the meeting. _''We need the boy alive if we are to extract the Kyuubi, and the hate for his father is too great in the hearts of Iwa Shinobi. Had they know who the boy was they wouldn't even concern themselves with keeping the Jinchuuriki alive''_ He knew that if Kurotsuchi found out she would go at the Jinchuuriki with the only intent to gut the boy and watch him die a slow death. Heck, he didn't know if he himself could resist the temptation to get retribution for his dead wife. That boy was the Yellow Flash's flesh and blood, after all. Making him pay for his pain would be the closest thing he could get to justice. But he would never put his men in danger for something as petty as revenge, it wasn't worth it. ''I understand what you are saying dad. And even though going for the boy would bring some justice for our fallen soldiers, for my wife, I still can't accept risking another war. However, you are the Tsuchikage, if this is really your final say I can't do anything but comply'' Said Kitsuchi with finality.

Ohnoki stayed firm nonetheless, not swayed at all by his son's attempt to change his mind. ''Glad to hear that you at least know your place. Now go, you have a mission to accomplish''

Kitsuchi made his way out of his father's office, a look of resignation and disappointment marring his features. There was nothing left to do but to execute his orders to the best of his abilities, for he knew that if he failed, the consequences would be severe.

-Merchant Island in the Land of Lightning-

It had been a few days of traveling from small island to small island looking for information to find yet another island. Naruto was getting tired of going around asking people in all these villages only to find dead ends; and on top of all that, they had to constantly keep a low profile while at it to avoid catching the eye of Kumo ninja. All in all, it was a pretty tedious experience for the orange-clad blond.

He was sitting on a bed in an inn's room that he and Jiraiya rented for the day when he heard the door open and saw his master walk in. ''You are finally back, Ero-Sennin. Did you learn anything of use this time?'' asked Naruto hopeful for any kind of advance. He was so tired of going around in circles.

Jiraiya scratched the back of his head nervously, knowing that Naruto wouldn't like what he learned. ''Well... Apparently the island we are looking for is a dangerous place used as a training ground by Kumo. It is crawling with dangerous wildlife, giant hostile animals and the like. It's practically Kumo's version of our Forest of Death.''

As expected, Naruto blew up. ''Say what!? How did your precious contacts forget to get that tiny little detail?'' Their own Forest of Death was bad enough, and this one was on an isolated island in the middle of a rival ninja nation. That was where they were so eager to get to?

His master raised his hands in a placating manner at the outburst. ''Easy there, brat. I know it may be a bit dangerous, but if it gives us a real shot at controlling more of the Kyuubi's Chakra then is a risk worth taking''

Naruto wasn't having any of that, tough. ''Not if we are dead. The stupid Fox is not worth risking our heads over it. And I don't know about you, but I'm sick of searching blindly for a place that we aren't even sure is gonna help us. I'm done, I'm going back to the Land of Fire and you can't stop me'' Finished the young man and started to pack his belongings.

Jiraiya finally lost his temper; the pressure from both the imminent danger his student was and for running low on time looking for their last hope was already thinning his patience. Now his student's behavior was the straw that broke the camel's back. ''The Akatsuki are coming for you, dumbass!'' Shouted the Sage with a fierceness rarely seen in the old pervert, making Naruto stop his rant as he was too stunned by his master's rarely seen temperament. ''They are coming and you aren't ready. I'm sorry Naruto, I really tried to put you at a level that would be acceptable to defend yourself against them, but the truth is I failed. You stand no chance against them as you are now. This is our best shot to ensure that you are strong enough when the time comes, and so far I have no better ideas!'' by the end of his argument, Jiraiya's mood had changed from anger to depressed at finally admitting his failure in preparing Naruto to defend himself.

Naruto was speechless at his master's revelation, while he already suspected that he wasn't strong enough to take on an Akatsuki member head on, he had hoped that at least he could hold his own. But judging by what Jiraiya said, he would be no match at all for any of them. Now he was just as depressed as his old teacher. He felt as if his training had been for nothing.

They sulked in silence for a bit until naruto asked with a sullen voice and his head down. ''Heard anything else that could help us find it ?''

Jiraiya also waited for a bit before answering.''The island is on top of the shell of a giant turtle, that is why is so hard to find''

''...let's just go'' Mumbled Naruto with resignation.

And so with their spirits down, they were off to continue their search for the elusive island. Now both of them hoped more than ever that whatever was in there would be able to help them, as it was their last hope for their training trip.

 **Author's note:**

 **there you go, those are the 3 first chapters. The good stuff is coming and I can't wait to write it. I will upload more chapters as soon as I finish them. With college and a job, I don't have much time to write. Now I wish I had started writing this on summer break and I would be at least 10 chapters in if I had. Anyway, I hope you are enjoying reading it. see you soon.**


	4. Chapter 4: Ambush!

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 4: Ambush!

-Unknown Location-

Tobi once again sat alone in a cavern, going over the current situation in his mind, and so far everything was going according to the plan. The Tsuchikage had sent a large elite force with a lot of his most skilled shinobi in pursuit of the Kyuubi, and among those in the force were most of the ANBU patrols usually guarding the Yonbi and Gobi. Now getting close to the Jinchuuriki wouldn't be a problem with the meager defenses left protecting them. All that was left was for Zetsu to confirm when the assault unit went too far past Iwagakure's border that they wouldn't be able to help once the Akatsuki made their move.

Speaking of the devil, at that moment the flytrap-like man materialized out of the ground. He turned to Tobi, ready to inform his leader of the development of their scheme. '' **The force hunting the Kyuubi is already on the seas of the Land Of Lightning giving chase to the Jinchuuriki. At this point even if they were to turn around and come back they would not get here in time to save the Yonbi and Gobi** '' reported black Zetsu in his deep monotone voice like always.

That was what Tobi had been waiting for. It was the moment to start making their move. ''Now is the time. Inform the others to be ready to act. But have them wait for our signal. The attack has to be a coordinated effort if we want to capture both Jinchuuriki at the same time''

''Will do, Tobi. They are already on standby, some of them are restless to start'' Said white Zetsu with his usual cheery disposition before submerging himself and his black half on the ground after just arriving.

Tobi stood up, ready to leave too. Even if he wasn't part of the operation he still wanted to see the performance of the Akatsuki members, albeit at a safe distance of course, as it still wasn't the moment to reveal himself to the world.

-Sea of The Land of Lightning-

The cold breeze of the foggy night could be felt on the ship, but Kitsuchi didn't even pay attention to the uncomfortable weather. A lot was at stake on their success to pay any mind to it.

The Iwa commander stood motionless on the railing of the wooden ship, showing and air of confidence and authority to help the morale of his troops. For Iwa Shinobi like them who were used to always fighting on dry land, the climate conditions were unfavorable. Not only was the environment bothersome, but most of the time they didn't even have land for their earth based Jutsu, and the only times they did was when they passed by the occasional small island. This meant that they were fighting at a slight disadvantage when it came to their Jutsu repertoire. Still, even with that handicap, most of them were Jounin, and that meant that almost all the Shinobi in their unit were proficient in more than one element, and some Shinobi like Akatsuchi could expel rocks from their mouth created with chakra. Also, they had members of the Kamizuru clan, and they didn't use a lot of element based Jutsu because their clan techniques were based around manipulating insects, not unlike Konoha's Aburame clan, except that they specialized in the use of bees. And speaking of which, some members of the Kamizuru clan were using their insects to scout the location of the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the Sannin to ensure that they were still on the right track. With the mist covering their advance, they were safe to get close and get the upper hand with a surprise attack. Their ship should be bigger anyway, they rented a big warship from some mercenaries and the Jinchuuriki was traveling in a small fishing ship; they would have the advantage once they started raiding their target.

A member of the Kamizuru clan was just receiving some of the bees he had sent out to scout, and after gathering the intel his small Summon had brought him he went straight to Kitsuchi. ''Captain Kitsuchi, we are only half an hour away from our target, if it wasn't for the mist we could have a visual already''

Kitsuchi gave out a deep sigh, knowing that a battle would soon break out. He quickly composed himself and called out to his men in authority. ''All of you, prepare for battle! We will soon reach the Jinchuuriki and Jiraiya of the Sannin. If you have anything you need to do to properly equip yourselves, now is the time!'' Everyone started digging through their ninja tools and grabbed any weapons they tough they may need.

Kurotsuchi and Akatsuchi were on the lower deck finishing their preparations. Akatsuchi was nervous about the mission, he had never been against a foe such as Jiraiya, and the prospect of fighting the Sannin wasn't too appealing for the plump boy, so he tried to relieve some tension with small chat. ''What do you think of this, Kurotsuchi? Aren't you a bit tense, or scared for that matter?''

The tomboy turned to look at her friend with an excited grin. ''Scared? not a chance. This is the biggest mission I have ever gotten, and if we succeed we will deliver a fatal blow to Konoha. Besides, we have a large force of strong Shinobi with us. Even just you, me, and dad would be a force to be reckoned. With these many people here there is no way we can fail. And on top of that our targets are an old man and an inexperienced Jinchuuriki, how hard can it be to beat them with our forces?'' said the girl with the confidence she was known for.

Even with his friend's reassurance, Akatsuchi didn't feel any less nervous. ''I hope you are right, Kurotsuchi. The Sannin are supposed to be some of the strongest Shinobi in the world. And we are always told to be wary of Jinchuuriki regardless of their experience''

The girl gave an unconcerned huff. ''We'll be fine, you worry too much, Akatsuchi'' Said the girl as she finished strapping her sword to her waist.

Akatsuchi decided to drop the subject, knowing that he obviously wasn't convincing his friend about the dangers of the mission. He instead focused on something else that caught his attention. ''By the way Kurotsuchi, that's not your usual sword is it? I have never seen it before'' he said pointing at the sword on her hip. It looked like it had seen some use as the handle was worn out even if it still seemed solid.

Kurotsuchi put a gloved hand on the handle and took the weapon out of the scabbard. ''Oh this. Yeah, this was my mother's. I had it stored away. I didn't want to use it until I became Jounin and was skilled enough to honor her memory'' She explained while examining the blade with a tender look as the blade showed the reflection of her pink eyes.

Akatsuchi looked at her with a kind look, imagining how much the blade had to mean to the girl. ''Don't worry about a thing, you are a great Kunoichi. I'm sure you will have no problem honoring her memory''

Kurotsuchi put away the weapon and coughed in her hand, knowing that she probably showed more vulnerability than she intended. ''Well, that's enough of that. This is not the time to be getting mushy. Come on, we are just about to engage the Konoha bastards. We can't be down here when that happens'' She said as she started going up the stairs to the upper deck.

Akatsuchi went after her and soon joined everyone, with his worry returning at remembering the upcoming fight.

Naruto shivered at the cold air. He was getting tired of this weather. He hadn't seen so much mist since his fight with Zabuza, and he couldn't say that he had missed it. ''Ero-Sennin, are you sure that the giant turtle was around here? It's cold as hell out here and I can't see a damn thing'' Said Naruto before sneezing loudly.

Jiraiya was leaning on the railing, trying in vain to spot anything around them using the small telescope that he usually used to peep at girls with. ''You heard the old man that lent us this ship. He said that he saw an immense island around these parts that seems to come and go as it pleases. If that's not an island on a turtle I don't know what else could explain that. Unless it's a haunted island or something''

Naruto bleached at his master's words. ''A h-haunted I-island? Like with g-ghosts and stuff?'' And now that he thought about it, maybe the haunted island would explain the mist and the cold. Now his shivering got even worse, and not because of the bad weather. He started pacing from one side of the deck to the other, looking scared and on guard for anything suspicious.

Jiraiya gave an exasperated sigh and turned around to scold naruto. ''Would you quit that!? You are such a superstitious brat, you know that?'' He put the telescope away and regarded naruto with an incredulous look. ''Ghosts aren't real, naruto, I was just joking. Seriously, what kind of shinobi gets scared of that?''

That got the Jinchuuriki to stop pacing and tried to act tough in an effort to save face. ''Scared? me? Of course I'm not scared, Ero-Sennin! Who is scared? Uzumaki Naruto is scared of no ghosts'' He finished with a rather unconvincing smile, which only made Jiraiya look at him with a deadpan expression, obviously not believing him at all. Suddenly Naruto perked up. ''Hey Ero-Sennin, look! I can see something! Could it be the island?'' He said while pointing at the distance.

The Sannin got a curious look and glanced over where naruto was pointing at, and he could indeed see a silhouette through the mist. However it wasn't big enough to be what they were looking for, but it was still rather big, but that was probably because whatever it was, it was close. Soon the silhouette revealed itself to be a large ship, at least ten times the size of their own. Jiraiya narrowed his eyes in suspicion at the ship's abrupt appearance.

They both stared at it for a moment before they heard the ship's crew yell. ''Charge!'' ''Get those Konoha scum!'' suddenly a large squad of Iwa Shinobi started raiding Jiraiya and Naruto's ship.

Jiraiya widened his eyes in alarm at the unprovoked attack. ''Oh hell no! Naruto, prepare to fight, this is an ambush!'' Yelled the old master at his pupil.

Naruto looked equally as shocked before snapping himself out of it and formed a single hand seal for his favorite technique. ''Tajuu Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!(Multiple Shadow Clone technique)'' In an instant, their small ship was bursting with copies of Naruto. The doppelgangers charged with a battle cry, clashing with their enemies mid-air and matching their numbers. Soon Jiraiya joined the fray along with Iwa's strongest members of their unit, and the sea became a battlefield.

-Iwagakure no Sato-

Ohnoki was restless knowing the delicate mission that he had entrusted his son and granddaughter could put Iwa in a terrible position should it go awry. It made his nerves eat him from the inside, he didn't even care about his stacking paperwork for his mind was so clouded with worry over the success of such a delicate task. He only hoped that Kitsuchi's fears didn't come true.

Suddenly one of his Chunin entered through his door with urgency. ''Tsuchikage-Sama! There's an emergency, you should come immediately!'' the young man was so worked up that he didn't care to ask for permission to enter.

Ohnoki jumped in his chair at the intrusion. ''What's the meaning of this? You better have a good reason for barging into my office in such a manner.'' said Ohnoki, angry at the disrespect of his subordinate.

Even his leader's foul mood didn't deter the young man from his haste. ''It's Han and Roshi, sir! Something is wrong with the Jinchuuriki.''

The Tsuchikage got upset upon hearing that. ''What do you mean about that?'' demanded the diminutive man.

Ohnoki followed the Chunin to the roof, and he could, in fact, see a great amount of smoke coming from two different locations in the distance: Roshi and Han's cabins. ''They are battling, they wouldn't be using that much strength otherwise.'' Said the Tsuchikage in worry. For them to be fighting just when he had recalled their ANBU patrols had to mean that someone was waiting for the perfect moment to go for both of them at once, it couldn't be a coincidence; someone planned this. ''Call all the available Shinobi we have, we need to protect the Yonbi and Gobi! I'll be personally going to help Roshi, you and the rest help Han!'' said the Tsuchikage in a hurry to the young man.

Before the man could reply, Ohnoki noticed two small white clay spiders crawling on both sides of the Shinobi and widened his eyes, recognizing that particular Jutsu. The small man floated away with his gravity Jutsu just as the small arachnids detonated on the Chunin he had just been talking to. The resulting explosion was big enough to blow a good part of the roof they were standing on, and the only sign that the young man had been there was a shower of blood and gore. Ohnoki looked with shock at what just a second ago had been one of his Shinobi.

''Long time no see, old man. Did you miss your old student, un?'' called a cloaked figure in the sky, riding what appeared to be a giant white dragon made of clay

If Ohnoki hadn't been angry before, now it was a certainty. ''Deidara. I knew it was you, I could recognize your Jutsu anywhere.'' The small man glared at his former pupil.

The blond man grinned mockingly at the old Kage. ''And here I thought that you would be happier to see me. I was in the neighborhood and decided to take a moment of my time to visit my old home. Everything's looking good over here, you have done a great job of keeping things in check, Ohnoki. However, this place is missing my touch. But no matter, that's nothing a couple C1 won't fix, un.''

Ohnoki leveled himself with his attacker using his gravity Jutsu and took a glance at the attire of his former student. ''That cloak...so You are a member of Akatsuki now?''

''A little slow on the update, old man. I have been a member for a while now, un.'' Said Deidara, careful to keep his distance. He knew better than anyone that you shouldn't underestimate Ohnoki.

The Tsuchikage knew about the Akatsuki, they were a mercenary group that always performed splendidly and practically never failed an assignment, and they were incredibly cheap to boot. Ohnoki himself had used their services several times in the past, as he couldn't argue with the results they delivered. But being under attack by them made him feel like a fool for ever associating with the bastards. The undersized man crossed his arms over his chest and demanded answers from his former soldier. ''Stop fooling around! what do you and your accomplices hope to gain from this? Why are you targeting our Jinchuuriki?''

Deidara gave a dry laugh at Ohnoki's questions. ''Ha, like if I would tell you something like that. But enough chatter, weren't you going to help your precious Biju right now? Come on, don't mind me, you go ahead. Well, that is if you don't care to leave me here while I give Iwa a new makeover.'' Said the blond man while he started molding more explosive clay with the mouths in his hands.

The small Tsuchikage's eyes narrowed in barely contained rage at the actions of the man. ''I always hated your cowardly way of fighting, Deidara. But I never expected you to fall this low.''

''See how much I care. Try to keep up, old timer, un.'' And so Deidara gave a sharp flip on his dragon and quickly started circling Iwagakure, all while dropping his bombs on civilians and ninja alike, their screams of terror and agony filling the air.

''I'll have your head for this, Deidara!'' Yelled a now vivid Ohnoki, and started giving chase to the mad bomber, maneuvering through mountains and buildings as the self-proclaimed artist continued to bomb the city. ''Take this, you fucking traitor! Jinton: Genkai Hakuri no Jutsu!(Dust Release: Detachment Of The Primitive World Technique)'' a small conical light started forming between the old Kage's hands, before expanding in a straight and large beam of light going directly for the terrorist.

Deidara halted brusquely the advance of his giant clay dragon, barely dodging the beam. Relief washed over him at avoiding such a deadly Jutsu. As the Tsuchikage's former student, he knew that technique destroyed at a molecular level. If he was hit by that there was no chance of surviving. ''Damn, that was a close call. Way too close for comfort. I think I really pissed off the old man this time, un.'' he didn't plan to stick around for long anyway. He just needed to buy some time for Sasori, Kakuzu and Hidan so they could finish capturing the Yonbi and Gobi. Thanks to the missing patrols usually guarding the Bijus they were discovered only after they were halfway done with their fights, but they still needed just a small distraction to avoid any risk of anyone getting there in time to save the Jinchuuriki or give chase once they got them. And that task had fallen onto Deidara, as he had the best mobility out of all of them, and was also the most slippery. He just needed to keep Ohnoki and the rest of Iwa busy for a short while. But at least as long as he stayed in the skies the rest of the Iwa ninja couldn't do anything but defend themselves from his explosives.

Ohnoki knew that Deidara was stalling for his comrades, but he couldn't leave Iwagakure unprotected to the assault of the crazy blond. If he had to choose to save his village or his Jinchuuriki, he would choose his village a thousand times over. ''You'll regret ever showing your face here again. The next one won't miss.''

Deidara clicked his tongue in worry, if he kept running away he would eventually be caught, so it was time to start defending himself. ''Don't think you can't take me on so easily, you old bat. Let's see how you like a taste of the greatness of my art, un.'' The large dragon turned around and went straight for the old Kage. The clay creature started spitting small birds made of clay that started homing on the small man. Deidara also started making exploding birds made of clay, and soon a large flock of the small creatures started swarming Ohnoki until he couldn't keep dodging for long and few of them managed to reach him. Deidara made a single hand seal and yelled ''Katsu!'' causing a large explosion. However, instead of the charred remains of Iwa's beloved leader, what fell was a rain of small pebbles. _''a Rock Clone. Where did he go?''_ while looking around for any sign of the Tsuchikage he caught sight of a bright light coming from down below. He widened his eyes and quickly did a barrel roll, but was just a bit too slow and the next Jinton beam obliterated the left side of his dragon, along with his arm.

The mad bomber started a free fall while yelling bloody murder due to his missing limb, but he quickly got his bearings and made a large bird of clay with his remaining arm holding on to it. He couldn't afford to get to the ground or he would get ganged up on by all the Iwa forces. '' _screw this! This is long enough, I'm getting out of here.''_ Deidara started gaining altitude for his next and final Jutsu, pulling out a small clay statue that had an open mouth and wing-like arms wrapped around it. ''I'll make you pay for taking my arm, old man! or rather, your precious village will! I have a special gift just for you. My C3 will make a burning crater out of Iwa because art is an explosion!'' The Akatsuki member proceeded to drop the statue over the village, and as soon as he did, the statue became huge and extended its arms as it continued its free fall.

Ohnoki looked in horror at the large figure. Fearing for the safety of his people he used the Jinton once more and fired it at the statue, tearing a huge chunk of it. However, the rest of the statue detonated soon after and the inferno that enveloped the sky could be seen for kilometers.

Once the explosion died off, The old Tsuchikage took to the air once more to evaluate the damage done. He managed to trigger the explosion high enough that the radius of it damaged only the taller buildings, but still the shockwave was so strong that most of the surrounding structures got big parts of them blown off, and adding the rest of the C1 bombs Deidara had been using, there was virtually no building in Iwa that hadn't received some sort of damage. And speaking of the mad bomber, there were no signs of him anywhere, obviously, he used the last Jutsu as a distraction to cover his retreat.

Ohnoki's ire was palpable. He had been unable to protect his Jinchuuriki, his village, and his people. He continued to watch the damage done when one of his ANBU reached the roof of the building he was floating over. ''Tsuchikage-Sama, we suffered heavy casualties in the center and west side of the village, and we still don't know the status of the Jinchuuriki! Your orders sir?'' Asked the masked Shinobi, anxious for the answer of his leader.

''Gather all the able Shinobi you can find and look for wounded. Forget the Jinchuuriki, we must have lost them by now; attending the injuries of our people is more important at the moment.'' said the diminutive man in resigned anger, knowing that they lost and the enemy had gotten what they wanted. The hatred in the man's eyes could have chilled to the bone anyone that met his gaze. '' _Akatsuki, I'll paint the streets red with the blood of your members, that I promise you.''_

-Sea of The Land Of Lightning-

The ocean was littered with the remains of what used to be a fishing boat, and there was the occasional Iwa corpse here and there. Even the warship that Iwa had used was in a poor condition by the ferocity of the skirmish. The only thing keeping the battle even was Jiraiya's prowess and the sheer number of Kyuubi enhanced clones that Naruto could make, and even then, the two Konoha Shinobi were starting to be overwhelmed, having had more than a few close shaves. The situation was so critical that Naruto had been forced into his Chakra Cloak, which made him sport a bubbling red aura of Chakra in the shape of a fox, had his canines and claws elongated, made his hair wilder, his whiskers thicker, and his eyes red and slitted.

Kitsuchi was impressed. He knew of Jiraiya's strength but he never had the chance of fighting the man until now, not even during the war did the occasion present itself, but he had never expected the Sannin to be this strong. The man had managed to repel almost everything they threw at them, and the sheer amount of Shadow Clones that the boy could make was insane, but he could notice that both of them wouldn't be able to keep this up for much longer. Even if the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki seemed to have almost unlimited chakra, Jiraiya did not, it was only a matter of time until he dried himself out. ''All of you, keep them on the defensive! They can barely hold on, victory is almost ours!'' All his troops reorganized themselves and started preparing another round of attacks.

Jiraiya noticed their attack pattern and knew what to expect, but he also knew that he and his pupil were in trouble if things kept going at this rate. There was no choice, he would have to use Sage Mode. Not only did Sage Mode improve all his abilities tremendously, but it also let him save his own chakra by using natural energy from the environment. Besides, having Shima and Fukusaku helping him would be a great asset. ''Naruto, I need you to cover me for a moment, use more of the Kyuubi's Chakra if you can, but I need them off my back!'' Yelled the Sannin to the feral boy.

''You got it, Ero-Sennin!'' Naruto focused for a moment before a second tail of Chakra materialized behind him. With the increase of the amount of Chakra, Naruto could also feel the increase in the Kyuubi's influence over him. His demeanor became more savage, and after creating a dozen Shadow Clones they all gave a mighty roar. Due to the Kyuubi's Chakra powering them, the clones battle cries were so powerful that they caused small tidal waves that disoriented the Iwa Shinobi. Taking advantage of the chaos they made, the Chakra Cloaked copies jumped towards their enemies with red spheres of compressed circulating Chakra in their hands. ''Rasengan!(Spiraling Sphere)'' Most of the Iwa Shinobi managed to dodge the assault, but the few that didn't, met their end in a giant explosion of water that the attack leveled in the collision.

The massive attack made the Iwa ninja lose sight of their targets in the mist when they were forced to retreat a great distance to avoid it. They stopped for a moment trying to relocate the two Konoha ninja when out of nowhere a small stream of high-pressure water dismembered some of their ninjas, forcing the Iwa Shinobi once again to dodge to avoid being skewered.

From the mist emerged Jiraiya, but his appearance had quite a few changes. He was now sporting a goatee, a big warty nose, and webbed hands and feet. And aside from his change of appearance, he had two small old toads on his shoulders, one seemed to be a male and the other a female, and both were wearing small capes fitting for their size. The male toad was green and had a white mop of hair, large eyebrows, and a goatee. And the female toad was a lighter shade of green and had short wavy purple hair. The blond boy was nowhere to be seen, most likely he fell back to avoid getting in his master's way.

''I think a got a few of them, Jiraiya-Chan.'' Said the male toad, now confirmed to have been the cause of the stream of water.

''Seriously boy, why are you always summoning us in such annoying places? Salt water is bad for our skin, you know.'' said the female toad, annoyed at the Sage.

''I'm sorry Fukasaku-Ojisan, Shima-Obaasan. I'm in a bit of a pickle here, I can't fend these guys off and protect Naruto at the same time all by myself.'' Said the Sage, somewhat embarrassed at being scolded by the toad, but soon gave the Iwa Shinobi all his attention once more. ''Now you bastards, I'll show you what happens when you mess with the great Jiraiya!'' Boasted the old pervert while making a dramatic pose, which earned him two punches to the face, courtesy of his amphibian friends.

''Don't yell on our ears, you moron!'' Chided the couple in unison.

Some of the Iwa Shinobi took advantage of the distraction that the Sannin and his summons were making and started charging Jiraiya head on while doing hand seals for their Jutsu; but in the blink of an eye the Sage was upon them, wielding in one hand a giant blue ball of chakra like the one the Jinchuuriki used moments ago, but this one was several times the size of its user. ''Cho Odama Rasengan!(Ultra-Big Ball Spiraling Sphere)'' Yelled Jiraiya while bringing down the enormous sphere of condensed Chakra on the dozen Iwa Shinobi. The cries of agony of the men were soon muffled as their bodies started disintegrating in the giant orb until nothing was left of them.

Kurotsuchi was in awe at the raw power that the Sannin was showing, she hadn't expected the man to be this powerful. ''Kurotsuchi'' she was taken out of her stupor by Kitsuchi's call and she turned to look at her dad.

When Kitsuchi knew that he had his daughter's full attention he proceeded to relay his order. ''Take our remaining ANBU and go past Jiraiya without being noticed, use the mist as your cover. I need you to apprehend the Jinchuuriki and bring him to us. Once we have him in our grasp we will make a run for it. Jiraiya has revealed his true power, to stay and fight him head-on would be suicide. Our only chance of success is to escape with our target. But be careful, a Biju's Chakra is not to be underestimated, even if its user is not that much skilled by himself, that Chakra is so strong that it makes the boy a threat. '' he told the girl with authority.

Kurotsuchi looked at her father with determination and nodded. ''I won't let you down, dad.'' She called their remaining squad of ANBU, which was about a dozen, and went into the mist and out of sight, intending on hiding from the powerful Sage as they tried to reach their objective.

Jiraiya, nevertheless suspected what they were trying to do, but he wasn't about to go looking blindly for ANBU level Shinobi, but he knew a way to easily find them. ''They are hiding from us. I'm counting on you, Obaasan.'' requested to Shima.

The small summon looked at Jiraiya knowingly and nodded. ''On it, Jiraiya-Chan'' She stuck out a bizarre looking tongue. It was long and thick, with warts all over it, and seemed to have a face with small squinted eyes and a wide grin with sharp teeth. The weird creature-like tongue started sniffing the air, and after a moment, Shima detected a couple signatures, but she widened her eyes in surprise at what she was feeling. With haste, she started elongating her tongue in what appeared to be a random direction. Jiraiya, Fukasaku and even the rest of their Iwa enemies got varied looks of surprise at the weird behavior. The appendage tried to wrap itself around something in the mist that no one could see, and the warts in the tongue started to release an acid substance while trying to catch whatever it had sensed.

Two figures came rapidly out into the middle of the battlefield after just avoiding being melted in the acidic shower. The figures revealed themselves to be two men. They were wearing black cloaks with red clouds, which gave them away as members of Akatsuki.

Jiraiya widened his eyes in worry at the identity of the newcomers, remembering the last time he met them. _''these two again; so this is why Shima-Obaasan looked so worried. The situation just took a turn for the worse.''_

One was a very tall man, with gray-blue skin, spiky blue hair, and had what appeared to be gills under his round black eyes. Aside from the standard Akatsuki cloak, he also had a big two-handed sword wrapped in bandages, that at the moment he was resting it against his shoulder while he wielded it one-handed. ''It seems that we have been found out, Itachi-San. Such a shame really, we were planning on killing whichever side was left standing and take the Jinchuuriki for ourselves.'' Said the man with a grin, exposing his sharp teeth.

His partner was a pale skinned man with jet black hair that he kept in a low ponytail and his bangs framed his face. He was devoid of all expression and he had an air of cold serenity about him. But what really stood out were his blood red eyes with three tomoe surrounding each pupil. ''Careful, Kisame. Now that we have lost the element of surprise our mission won't be so simple anymore.'' Said the stoic man to his comrade.

''Heh, silent killing was more Zabuza's style anyway. I'm more of steamroll-through-the-opposition kind of guy.'' Said the blue skinned man, seemingly excited at the prospect of a battle.

Meanwhile, Kitsuchi was filled with dread at the turn of events. Not only did they have their hands full with Jiraiya but now two other monsters decided to appear with the apparent intent of killing everyone there save for the Jinchuuriki.

Jiraiya was the first one to react. He puffed his chest and exhaled a huge quantity of ignited oil. ''Katon: Dai Endan!(Fire Release: Big Flame Bullet)'' the already big flame was made even bigger with both toads using wind Jutsu to enhance the flames. The amount of fire starting to quickly cover the area made the Akatsuki members and the Iwa Shinobi jump to save themselves from burning alive.

Kisame had a wide grin at the intense start to his battle and focused his sights on the Sannin. ''I guess I'll go for the biggest prey first.'' He lunged at the Sage, but before he could reach his intended target, a large fireball forced both him and Jiraiya to split. Recognizing his partner's Jutsu, he turned to Itachi with a puzzled look. ''What's gotten into you, Itachi-San? That could have hit me, you know.''

''Don't fight Jiraiya in his current state, Kisame. He is filled with natural energy at the moment. If you try to absorb it with Samehada you could end up dying. Only a sage can withstand the effects of Natural energy.'' explained Itachi impassively. ''Leave Jiraiya to me, you go after the Kyuubi, he is our number one priority.

Said Sannin cursed under his breath in annoyance. Had Itachi not intervened, Kisame could have taken himself out.

The Shark-like man put on a face of disappointment at having to sit out the main brawl. ''No fair, I always get the boring jobs. But I guess it can't be helped.'' He sighed before resigning himself to his task. '' Fine, I'll leave these guys to you then. I hope that the Kyuubi puts a bit of a fight at least.'' He left so fast that only a blur could be seen when he took off.

Both Kitsuchi and Jiraiya looked worriedly in the direction the man had left, knowing that their daughter and godson respectively, were over there. But as they were about to give chase to the Swordsman, a large curtain of black flames blocked heir path. They looked at the remaining Akatsuki member, knowing that he must have been the cause of such technique.

 _'That's the same Jutsu he used three years ago to escape my Gamaguchi Shibari(Toad Mouth Bind)'_ remembered the old Sage. At the time, he had been forced to seal those flames away as they didn't seem like they could be put out.

 _''What is that? I have never seen a fire like that before. It's even burning on water.''_ Thought Kitsuchi in bewilderment.

All the remaining Iwa Shinobi, Itachi, and Jiraiya looked tensely at each other, and in an instant, all three factions started the skirmish once again in an effort to make an opening to go help their respective allies.

When Kisame reached Naruto, the boy and his clones were already engaged in a fight with a squad of ANBU and a short haired Kunoichi. As soon as he arrived, everyone stopped fighting and turned to look at him in surprise. ''Hello there. I'll be taking the Kyuubi now, but you are free to try to stop me, make it worth my while.'' The blue skinned man told them with a predatory gaze.

The ANBU looked extremely wary of the former Kiri ninja, while Kurotsuchi didn't know yet what to make of the odd looking man.

In contrast, Naruto seemed ready to tear apart the Swordsman. While influenced by the Kyuubi, seeing someone that was part of the organization that made him live in worry of being hunted down was more than enough to make his blood boil. He remembered how easily the swordsman had subdued him three years ago, but he sure as hell wasn't going down without a fight.

Naruto created even more Shadow clones. And along with the ones that were fighting the ANBU a moment ago, they rushed at the Monster of Kiri, claws and Rasengan at the ready to tear him to shreds.

Kisame's grin got even wider at the boy's aggression. He avoided their swipes with ease and dispelled them with a slash of his own soon after, and all while he parried the Rasengans with his sword, dissipating them as he absorbed the Chakra powering them.

Kurotsuchi took advantage of the blond distracting the Akatsuki member and signaled her ANBU to capture the boy. ''Now's our chance! Go for the Jinchuuriki!.'' The Shinobi complied and made their way to the Chakra cloaked boy. They split up into two groups, one group jumped into the air, preparing a Water based Collaboration Jutsu, while the one on the ground posed to strike with their blades to incapacitate their target.

Naruto first focused his attention to the ANBU preparing to lunge at him with their swords. He gave a sharp turn of his body, smacking his attackers with his Chakra tails, knocking them back as blood flew from their wounds. He then looked up as he heard the remaining ANBU finishing their Jutsu.

''Suiton: Mizurappa!(Water Release: Water Trumpet)'' Yelled the Iwa Shinobi as they launched a large jet of water from their mouths as they descended upon Naruto.

The Jinchuuriki took a deep breath and gave a loud roar, producing a large shockwave that neutralized the water technique and sent the users flying. He didn't get any respite, however, for as soon as he got rid of the ANBU, Kurotsuchi flanked him and started using her Kekkei Genkai abilities. ''Yoton: Sekkaigyo no Jutsu!(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' The girl spat a large ball of quicklime from her mouth at the orange-clad Genin.

Naruto attempted to side step the slimy substance, but he wasn't quick enough and one foot got encased in it. He momentarily tried to shake it off, but the quicklime started to harden like concrete at the contact with the water he was standing on, effectively trapping his leg and hindering his movement at having to carry the mass glued to him.

Kurotsuchi saw that her ANBU were starting to come back, having finally recovered from the previous attacks. Feeling confident in having a backup, she pulled out her mother's sword and charged Naruto, intending of cutting his tendons to subdue him. But in an instant, Kisame appeared between her and the boy after finally finishing off the clones. He gave a powerful slash with Samehada that she just barely managed to block with her own sword, but still the force of the blow sent her flying and she crashed into the water and sank into the ocean at the brutal throw.

The ANBU looked in worry at the quick dispatch of the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. ''Lady Kurotsuchi!'' They proceeded to surround the Monster of Kiri, ready to get revenge for the girl.

Kisame glanced around him in boredom at the Iwa Shinobi. ''You are annoying. This isn't fun anymore, you are all a bunch of weaklings.'' He wasn't smiling anymore, all in all, he seemed to be done playing around. After a moment, all the Shinobi circling him attacked at the same time, stabbing their blades into the vital organs of the Akatsuki member, which coughed up blood and rolled his eyes into his skull.

The ANBU gasped in surprise when the seemingly dead Kisame turned into water as they were holding him in place with their swords. ''Suiton: Daikodan no Jutsu!(Water Release: Great Shark Bullet Technique)'' when they heard the technique they turned around too late to see a giant shark made out of water approaching them at high speed. They didn't have time to dodge as the giant water creature crushed them all in his jaws with a large chomp. All the ANBU were swallowed by the shark as it dived into the water taking them along and leaving a stunned Naruto face to face with the Akatsuki member.

 _''h-he took them out as if it was nothing.''_ thought Naruto in horror at the strength of the shark-like man.

''Now that I finally got rid of these pests come with me like a good little Jinchuuriki. If you resist you'll just make it harder on yourself. I have orders not to kill you, but no one said anything about maiming.'' Said Kisame, having lost all interest in fighting an unworthy opponent.

Naruto stared silently for a moment before recovering his determination. He wasn't gonna give up, even if the situation seemed hopeless. That was his ninja way. He jumped at the swordsman with a battle cry, in an effort to claw his face off.

The tall man easily sidestepped every single swing that Naruto threw at him, and faster that the boy could follow he brought his bandaged sword down on the Jinchuuriki's torso. In that single swipe, the sword absorbed all the demonic Chakra that Naruto was expelling, leaving him back to his normal appearance, his red cloak completely gone.

Naruto gasped and got on one knee, barely able to keep himself standing on the water surface. He always ended up tired when the fox's Chakra ran out, but to have him forcefully taken left him completely exhausted. '' _what is the deal with that sword? It took so much of my Chakra I can barely move.''_

Nevertheless, Kisame didn't give him a moment to catch his breath. He slashed Naruto one more time, wounding him and making him faint due to Chakra exhaustion and the after effects from using the Kyuubi's power. As the boy started to sink into the sea the man grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up to avoid letting him drown.

''Yoton: Sekkaigyo No Jutsu!(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)''

When the former Kiri Shinobi sensed the attack coming, he quickly turned around gave it a chop with Samehada, once again absorbing the energy powering the quicklime Jutsu and leaving it useless. He searched for the user of the technique and found the same Kunoichi he had dealt with earlier. She looked annoyed at having been tossed so embarrassingly, and took out her own sword and clashed with Samehada, pressing against the man with all her might.

''You are out of your league, girlie. But you have spunk, I'll give you that.'' Said the Shark man with an amused grin.

She clenched her teeth in rage, she hated being underestimated. ''Shut up, you piece of shit! You just came here to ruin my mission and kill my comrades. I'll make you pay for that!'' She tried to hold her ground, but she was being pushed back fast, and the worst part was that Kisame didn't even seem to be putting much effort into it, and all while carrying an unconscious Naruto on the other hand.

''That mouth of yours is gonna get you killed, girl. So much confidence without the skill to back it up. You should learn your place.'' Said Kisame with his grin returning, finding pleasure in tearing down Kurotsuchi's ego.

Faster than Kurotsuchi could follow, Kisame delivered a hard kick to her stomach, making her stumble and lowering her guard for a moment. The former Kiri Shinobi exploited her momentary stunned state to swing his sword into her chest, wounding her and taking a large chunk of her Chakra.

The tomboy gave a cry of pain and brought a hand to hold her injury, staining her palm in blood. She started having trouble standing because of her Chakra exhaustion. With her current reserves, in a few minutes, she wouldn't even be able to keep water walking.

She looked to Kisame with dread. She hadn't felt this terrified in a long time. In a single attack, he weakened her enough to have her completely at his mercy. Whatever he threw at her next she knew she wouldn't be able to avoid it. The man gave another swing of his massive sword with the intent of finishing her off. She lifted her mother's sword to block it, but she knew it was useless, with her current strength the attack would go through her defense without a problem.

However, before the blade reached her, Kitsuchi rapidly came out of the mist to parry Samehada with a kunai, just barely halting the attack. Soon after, a large golem made of rock pushed Kisame to the side, making him drop Naruto. Akatsuchi appeared from the mist too, dissipating the golem he just used to hit the shark-like man. The plump boy turned to his friend in concern ''Are you ok, Kurotsuchi?''

She looked in surprise and relief at her friend and father, not expecting their intervention. She nodded to Akatsuchi, confirming her wellbeing; the wound wasn't life threatening at the moment but it would have to be patched up soon to avoid becoming so.

Her father had her eyes peeled in watch for the missing Akatsuki member and quickly grabbed Naruto to keep him from sinking. He took a side glance to her daughter to relay her a new order. ''Kurotsuchi, take the boy and go, quickly. The Uchiha and Jiraiya will be here soon, the rest of our forces are keeping them occupied, but they won't last. Akatsuchi and I will try to hold this one for as long as we can.'' He said while handing her the unconscious Jinchuuriki.

She took the boy and carried him with uncertainty, not liking the idea of leaving her father and best friend to face such a dangerous opponent by themselves. Suddenly, Kisame came rushing at them, sword at the ready to cleave them off. Akatsuchi created another rock golem and intercepted the blade while Kitsuchi encased his first in stone with a Jutsu, preparing himself to join the fight. ''Go now, Kurotsuchi!'' Yelled her father in urgency. She didn't waste another moment and took off, not even looking back.

She ran through the mist with Naruto on her back. She could barely keep a decent pace with her low Chakra and the open wound on her chest, but she continued nonetheless. She kept on looking for any place she could hide and rest. After she had recovered enough she would go looking for her father and what was left of their unit, but first, she needed time to heal properly.

After a while of sprinting she started to make out a figure in the mist, and after getting closer she noticed that it was huge. Soon she came to see a large island, larger than any island she had seen until now. It seemed to have a large forest with giant spiky trees that was more than big enough to lose any pursuers. She wondered how she hadn't seen it before, with its sheer size it should be hard to miss, even with the mist. But right now she didn't care about that, she was glad to have found a place to rest.

Itachi was busy looking for his partner as he expertly dodged the Jutsu his attackers were sending his way. After his battle with Jiraiya of the Sannin and the Iwa ninja went on for a while, his enemies reached the conclusion that Akatsuki was the main threat to take care about. Fighting Jiraiya was difficult all on its own, but fighting the sage and the Iwa Shinobi at the same time was a dangerous business, so he had been forced to flee and attempt to regroup with his partner. When he found Kisame, he was fighting two other Jounin from Iwa, and by the looks of it, he was winning.

Kisame looked as fresh as ever. Meanwhile, Kitsuchi had a couple gaping wounds on his leg and torso, while Akatsuchi was on all fours barely clinging to the water surface due to a deep, bloody injury on his back. When the blue skinned man noticed Itachi he flashed his normal toothy grin, glad to be reunited with his comrade. ''There you are Itachi-San. I was wondering what was taking you so long to catch up, I feared that Jiraiya had gotten the drop on you.''

''We have to hurry, Jiraiya and the rest of the Iwa squad are trying to get us first before they kill each other. Where is the Kyubi?'' asked Itachi impassively, even tough he seemed to be in a hurry he still acted calm and collected.

Kisame put on a sheepish look at the question. ''Oh well, you see, he kinda managed to get away. Some Kunoichi took him and made a run for it, I couldn't follow her while I dealt with these guys.''

''I see.'' If Itachi was annoyed, he didn't show it. ''We fall back then. Jiraiya and the rest will be here shortly. If the Jinchuuriki isn't here there is no point to keep fighting.''

''Like I'm letting you bastards get away again.'' Jiraiya and the two toads finally arrived, closely followed by the rest of the Iwa ninja. Shima and Fukasaku were already preparing their next Jutsu, ''Senpo: Goemon!(Sage Art: Goemon)'' after taking a deep breath, Jiraiya and his two summons spat a combined solution of oil, fire and wind, creating a sea of burning toad oil that threatened to boil the two men alive.

Kisame quickly made some hand seals and spat a great amount of water from his mouth in an effort to counter Jiraiya's technique. ''Suiton: Bakusui Shoha!(Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)'' The large amount of water coming from the former Kiri ninja became a gigantic wave as it added the water from the ocean to its already massive volume. The two Jutsu clashed with great force, making the sea shift violently as a large quantity of steam rose from the crash.

Jiraiya and the Iwa Shinobi waited a moment for the steam to clear. The conflict had lasted so long that the sun was already up and the mist had started to dissipate too. When the view was clear again they managed to see both Akatsuki members riding two sharks made of water. The creatures were incredibly fast in the ocean water, and in moments the two men vanished into the horizon, leaving Jiraiya and the Iwa platoon in the middle of the sea.

The Sannin and the remaining Iwa ninja stared warily at each other, waiting for their battle to resume. But before such a thing could happen, Kitsuchi stepped forward with a limp and started talking to the toad sage. ''The Jinchuuriki was lost in the chaos, we don't know where he is. We could keep fighting until we are all dead, but right now is pointless to continue. We are willing to back off if you are.'' Kitsuchi knew that it wasn't completely true. While they didn't know exactly where the boy was, he knew that he was still in Kurotsuchi's care. But their first priority was finding his daughter and the Jinchuuriki, fighting Jiraiya was too dangerous and would be an unnecessary waste of time. He didn't think they could win against the Sannin either. So all in all, avoiding further confrontation was in their best interests.

Jiraiya was enraged at the audacity of asking for a truce when they were the cause of this mess in the first place. ''You are the ones that attacked us! You are responsible for separating me from my student and gave the Akatuski the perfect opportunity to attack! So no, you aren't getting off the hook that easily'' The livid Sannin looked ready to slaughter them all.

''Jiraiya-Chan I agree with them, we should focus on finding your pupil instead.'' Intervened Fukasaku before His summoner started the fight anew.

''Pa is right boy, we have no more reason to keep fighting. And besides, finding young Naruto is more important right now.'' Shima tried to reason, thinking the same thing as her husband.

Kitsuchi and his men were tensely waiting for an answer from the Sannin, ready to defend themselves should he not desist.

Jiraiya meanwhile was grinding his teeth in ire. He wanted to get payback for all the trouble the Iwa bastards had caused, but he knew that logically the small toads were right. Finding Naruto was of utmost importance, it had way more priority than getting revenge on his attackers. After a bit of internal conflict, he decided to withdraw. ''Fine. But don't think this is over. The Hokage will be hearing from this, and she will bring dire consequences to you all.'' Spat Jiraiya with venom in his voice before banishing in a Body Flicker.

Kitsuchi and the rest of the remaining Shinobi let out a sigh they didn't know they had been holding, relieved at being alive. However, Kitsuchi soon called out with authority once more. ''No time to rest just yet! we have to find Kurotsuchi and the Jinchuuriki before Jiraiya does, so move it!'' At their commander's order, all the men scrambled to look for the missing girl. But despite looking for hours they couldn't find a thing, they didn't even know where she could have possibly gotten herself into. There was sea as far as the eye could see, so hiding places weren't even nearby. It was as if she and the boy had just disappeared.

 **Author's note: Finally! I have been writing this chapter for days. This particular chapter showed me something: I'm not good at writing action scenes, at all. that's part of the reason why it took so long to write because it takes me a really long time to word right what I'm trying to express when it comes to action. And even after all the time, it took I'm still not completely happy with how it turned out, but oh well, I'm still learning so I will get better...I hope. I'm gonna start writing the next chapter right away, in the next one we will finally be seeing some Naruto and Kurotsuchi interaction! but they won't be getting lovey Dovey just yet, obviously. So, as always please tell me if you like the chapter, or if you don't like the chapter and if so, please tell how I could improve. So until next time!**


	5. Chapter 5: Stranded

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 5: Stranded

-Island On The Land Of Lightning-

The first thing Naruto noticed when he woke up was the foliage of the tall trees towering above him with the sunlight coming through them. The second thing he noted was a splitting headache he had and was only made worse with the glare of the sun coming through the leaves. But the third and most important thing he noticed was that he was gagged and bound. He widened his eyes in panic as the events of the day before rushed into his mind. He remembered being attacked by Iwa and then the Akatsuki showed up, and then he lost consciousness fighting one of them. How he ended up in this place was a mystery to him. He attempted to stand and yell for help from his Sensei, but to no avail. He squirmed some more while his groans were muffled by the rag in his mouth when he noticed a girl coming into the clearing. He recognized her, she was one of the Iwa bastards that got him into this mess!

The pink-eyed girl grimaced when she saw that Naruto had woken up. She had left him alone after she woke up still feeling sore from her wound and left for a moment to patch herself up with some bandages she had sealed on a scroll, and to look for food and water. She had discarded her ruined flak jacket and one could see the bandages through the blood-stained hole on her red uniform. ''So, you are finally awake, Konoha Scum.'' She continued to approach him until she was right beside him and crouched to get a better look at him. She wanted to torment the boy for the trouble they went to capture him since a lot of her comrades died for the mission. ''You really were a handful to catch, you can thank your master for that. But now that we got you we can take you back to Iwa and give the Kyuubi to someone worthier of that power.'' She could see the rage in his eyes as he started shouting at her, or at least trying to. She put a hand close to her ear in mockery at the attempt of her captive. ''What was that? Sorry, I couldn't hear you.''

Naruto got even angrier at being ridiculed, but even using all his strength he couldn't break free from his binds. Suddenly, his stomach growled which caught both of their attention and he got embarrassed at showing any further vulnerability to his enemy.

She put on a condescending grin at his predicament. ''Oh? You hungry, Konoha dog? Well, you are in luck, I found a river a little while ago and left some traps to catch a fish or two, also I brought some water.'' She said while pulling a canteen from her pouch and started gulping the contents down.

Naruto stared at her with a craving look, he was pretty thirsty too. He hadn't had anything to drink or eat in almost a day.

Kurotsuchi noticed the look that the young Jinchuuriki was giving her and after giving a satisfied sigh at her quenched thirst, she regarded him once more. ''Sorry, how inconsiderate of me. Here have some.'' She then proceeded to spill the liquid on the blond's face, making him close his eyes and groan in protest. ''Oops, butterfingers.''

 _''you didn't even drop it, you bitch!''_ thought Naruto, hoping that somehow his glare would cause her to drop dead.

''Awww, such a shame, it's empty now, so I guess you are out of luck.'' Said Kurotsuchi with fake remorse, before returning to her more cheerful attitude. ''Oh well, nothing to be done about it. I heard that Jinchuuriki can survive for a while longer than most people thanks to their tenants, so I'm sure you'll be alright. Now that I think about it, I guess there is no need to feed you after all.'' She then went to the edge of the clearing, just about to reenter the forest, and glanced at Naruto one last time. ''I'm gonna see if I caught anything to eat. Don't go anywhere while I'm gone.'' She mocked him one last time and departed, leaving Naruto fuming and alone for a few hours.

Naruto was laying on the ground beside his crazy captor and a bonfire. Night had already fallen, and most of the fish were already eaten by the Iwa Kunoichi. She didn't even let him have any. His rage hadn't completely died down, but now his most troubling thought was that he was trapped in god knew where, and his only companion was the crazy girl that abducted him. Thinking that he may never get to see his friends and home again crushed his spirit. There were so many things he still wanted to do; he still needed to save Sasuke, he still wasn't Hokage, and he still had yet to get a date from Sakura, or any girl for that matter. He refused to let this be the end, but he couldn't think of a way out right now.

Kurotsuchi was sitting just a few feet away and was currently cleaning her sword. She took great care of her mother's blade and the battle from the previous day had left it quite dirty. She took a side glance to her captive. He had stopped squirming a while ago and she wanted to confirm that he was still behaving and not trying anything sneaky. When She confirmed that he wasn't up to anything she went back to her weapon. Her usual confidence was gone and she had a look of worry instead. She wondered if her father and Akatsuchi were alright. Last she saw them they were fighting one of the strongest Shinobi she had ever seen, and they had two more monsters of his level on their tails. She couldn't bear to think about losing them, but she had to have faith that they managed to get out of that situation. They must have, they were strong. She also wished with all her being that was the case. And even if they were fine she didn't have a way to know where they were, or where she was for that matter. She had scouted the island earlier in the day and she was surprised by what she found. She managed to see what appeared to be a tail and legs attached to the island, so it had to mean that it wasn't just an island, it was a living creature, big enough to have a large sized forest on its back. It even had its own ecosystem and everything. She massaged her temple, wondering how she even got into such a complicated situation.

The burning embers of the bonfire were the only things that could be heard as both of them pondered on their respective problems. Neither of them could sleep that night with such troubling thoughts plaguing their minds.

-Land Of Lightning-

Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and most of the survivors of the Iwa force were resting in a small camp that they had set on the seashore. After their failed assault they looked for any signs of Kurotsuchi and the Jinchuuriki until they decided that with their wounds they weren't in any condition to be looking around, and begrudgingly they decided to go back to shore to rest and tend to their injuries before they could continue. It had almost been a day now since they got separated from the girl. Right now the few Shinobi that hadn't been severely hurt were continuing the search, which left Kitsuchi and the rest to wait for any update on their progress.

Kitsuchi currently was sitting on a small log that he was using as a makeshift chair. He was heavily bandaged and in a bad mood. He turned to see the rest of his men, and most of them looked just as somber as he was; losing so many comrades in such a short time left them feeling depressed. He saw Akatsuchi and the boy had a gloomy look rarely seen on the happy-go-looking young man, he was obviously sad about their losses and worried over his missing friend. And along with his entire torso bandaged he looked pretty miserable overall. Kitsuchi couldn't blame the boy, he was worried sick about Kurotsuchi too. She was injured, alone in foreign lands, and was responsible for taking care of the objective of an S-ranked mission that also happened to be the Jinchuuriki of the strongest Biju in existence. He put his head in his hands, wondering how did they end up in such a mess. _''this mission is a disaster''_ Thought Kitsuchi with a heavy sigh. When they started the mission they had close to a hundred ninja, give or take; and now they were down to thirty or so, and that was without taking into account his missing daughter. _''could this get any worse?'_

''Captain Kitsuchi!'' He heard one of the men he sent to continue the search call out to him, he was approaching fast and seemed to be in a panic.

Kitsuchi stood up fast, dreading to hear any bad news about his daughter. ''What is it? did you find my daughter?'' He hoped that she was alright, he couldn't bear to lose her too like her mother.

The young Tokubetsu Jounin halted before his leading commander and shook his head with urgency. ''We haven't found her yet sir, but we just got a messenger bird from the village, and it's an emergency!'' Said the Shinobi holding up a letter.

Kitsuchi snatched the letter rapidly and starting reading its contents. As he continued his face got paler and paler until he finally clenched his fist around the piece of paper in anger. ''We got played!'' Yelled Kitsuchi with fury. He turned swiftly to his subordinates who seemed disturbed at his sudden outburst. ''We have to go back to the to the village at once, we were attacked by the Akatsuki!'' The news got looks of shock and anger on the faces of the remaining Iwa Shinobi, but then quickly got to pack their tools and tents as fast as they could. While the camp was hastily being packed, Kitsuchi was trembling with rage. He now understood that the Akatsuki were waiting for them to leave to attack the village, the timing was just too perfect, which it also had to mean that the bastards somehow managed to set up this whole thing. _''I knew this mission was a bad idea''_ He turned to the Tokubetsu Jounin once more to give him a new order. ''You and the rest of the search team stay here to continue looking for Kurotsuchi, the rest will come back with me to Iwa.''

The lower ranked Shinobi nodded in understanding and left in a hurry to get to the rest of the search party.

Kitsuchi felt terrible for leaving without finding Kurotsuchi first, but they were Shinobi, and they had to do what was best for the village, and right now returning to Iwa and helping with whatever they could was the right thing to do, even if as a father it killed him inside. He just hoped that his village and daughter would be fine.

-Merchant Island in the Land of Lightning-

Jiraiya was resting on the same inn he and Naruto had previously stayed at, and he was tired as hell. He had been looking for any signs of Naruto for a whole day, and for the life of him, he just couldn't find even a trace. He was already exhausted to begin with because of his long battle with Iwa and the Akatsuki, and spending several more hours searching fruitlessly just added to his fatigue. And on top of that, he had to pay the wrecked ship that he had borrowed, and he still got an earful for that. He heard a knock on his window and turned to look at a small red toad banging the glass from outside. He got up in a hurry and let the little amphibian enter the room.

The small animal found himself a nice comfortable spot on the bed and looked at Jiraiya. The toad was red with blue markings around his eyes, and had the kanji for 'gold' on his back, he was also wearing green goggles.''I have been keeping an eye on the Iwa squad just as you asked me to, old man. They didn't even notice me hiding nearby.''

''What did you find, Kosuke? Did they know anything at all about Naruto?'' Asked Jiraiya anxiously, he was not in the most patient of moods, not with the current issues.

The toad gave his report. ''They really seem to not know anything about the boy. However, it appears that they have lost one of their own too, and not only that, but it seems that both Naruto and the Kunoichi were lost together.''

Jiraiya was troubled by that information. He didn't like the blond to be stranded along with one of their enemies. And while he knew Naruto could handle himself against a single enemy, even a skilled one, he didn't know the situation he was in. The boy could be injured, or captured, or worse. The point was that he could be in an unfavorable position and he had no way to know or help him at the moment, and that made him feel impotent.

However, the toad wasn't done talking. ''There was something else. They got a message from Iwa, and apparently their village was attacked by the Akatsuki, so they went back to Iwagakure, leaving only a small search party here.''

Jiraiya widened his eyes in surprise at hearing about the attack on Iwagakure. Now a realization hit him; so that was how Iwa found out about Naruto. The Akatsuki probably found a way to put the boy on Iwa's radar to make them commit some of their elite forces and leave the village undefended, which in turn gave them a window of opportunity to invade them. If he had to guess they used that chance to get Iwa's Jinchuuriki and planned to get Naruto too once the Sannin and the Iwa platoon were too weak from their fight to put much resistance. Jiraiya felt like a fool, he had miscalculated. He didn't expect the Akatsuki to make such a daring move so soon, they still had a couple more months to train but he should have know better than to drop his guard. Now not only was Naruto officially out of time, and earlier than expected to boot, but the boy was out there, lost in Kumo's ocean with an enemy Kunoichi and a search party out for his head.

If only he could make Shima or Fukasaku Reverse Summon the boy, but is wasn't as simple as a regular summon; For a Reverse Summon the user had to know the Chakra signature of the person they are trying to summon, and the couple of elder toads had never met the boy personally, they couldn't know someone's Chakra signature if they had never seen the person before. Yes, they had been in the battle helping against Iwa just as Naruto had been, but Naruto had been using the Kyuubi's Chakra at the time, so even if they picked up a feeling for the blond's Chakra it would do them no good if it was the Kyuubi's. So that only left to find a toad that knew Naruto and also knew how to Use the Jutsu, but as far as he knew only Fukasaku and Shima knew how to do it. With all things considered he was running out of options and He needed to make a choice now, there was no time to rest. ''I'm going back to Konoha to get a proper tracker team to help. Kosuke, you continue keeping watch on the Iwa team searching for Naruto, if they find him first, tell me immediately.'' Said the Sage going for the door with the intent of leaving as soon as he could.

The red toad gave a salute in obedience. ''Leave those guys to me, and I wish you good luck. But you better hurry, we don't know how much time we can spare.''

''You don't need to tell me that, I know. I'll be back soon, good luck to you too.'' Jiraiya finally left the inn, he would get to Konoha in a couple of days if he traveled at full speed, he just wished that Naruto could hold on until then. Jiraiya would never forgive himself if something were to happen to his godson.

-Island on The Land of Lightning-

Kurotsuchi was coming back to her improvised camp where she left the blond idiot. She had come to the conclusion that they needed to change locations as fast as they could. After having been up all night she decided to look for food once more and in her little expedition, she encountered gigantic insects and larger than normal tigers, enormous bears, and a lot of other kinds of abnormal predators. She couldn't afford to keep leaving the Jinchuuriki at the mercy of the bizarre beasts or she risked getting the moron killed and fail her mission. So she needed to find a more secure location to set up her camp, in fact, she was surprised that they had lasted as long as they had without being attacked by one of those animals.

When she arrived at the clearing she saw the orange-clad idiot still struggling to free himself, but to no avail. She approached him with the same disdain as always and gave him a kick to the ribs to make him stop moving. ''Hey bastard, stop making a fuss, will ya? We are changing locations so stay still and don't give me any trouble.''

Naruto glared at her in defiance. He didn't care for his vulnerable position, he just wanted to free himself from his bindings, and if he couldn't then he at least hoped to give the Kunoichi as much trouble as possible just to show her that he wasn't just gonna give up without a fight. Along with his death glare, he started spewing insults at her, but of course, since his mouth was covered, only angry groans could be heard.

Kurotsuchi put on the same condescending look that she gave earlier and stared down at the boy with eyes that promised nothing but pain. ''What did you say? I think I heard 'please Kurotsuchi-Sama, beat my ass senseless until I can no longer move because I'm so retarded that I can't follow simple instructions'. Well since you asked nicely then I guess you earned it.'' She cracked her knuckles and got on one knee and pulled him up by his jacket, ready to punch him in the skull.

But Naruto was quick enough that when she grabbed his jacket, he gave her a headbutt to her face.

She dropped him in surprise at the unexpected hit and brought a hand to her lip, and inspected her fingers to see blood. The idiot had busted her lip! She snarled in fury and looked at the Jinchuuriki with hatred. ''Now you are really in for it now!''She lifted her arm, ready to deliver a crushing blow to the blond when she felt something wet touch her forearm. She stopped the delivery of her punch at the sensation, and realized that the liquid substance was dropping from above, so she looked up and paled at what she saw.

Above them were countless spiders staring at them with their fangs bared and salivating, which explained the dripping liquid. The arachnids were the size of small dogs and were black in color with red stripes, which meant that they were probably venomous.

 _''This is exactly why I didn't want to stay here anymore!''_ Thought the Kunoichi in panic.

Naruto wondered why the girl stopped her assault so he too glanced up, and joined his captor in her shock as the army of small red eyes of the spiders made their stomachs turn.

After staying still for a moment the spiders leaped from the trees and started to descend fast towards them. The aggression of the arachnids made Kurotsuchi prepare her weapons to fend the creatures off, and Naruto started his squirming once more.

Kurotsuchi rapidly started throwing kunai and shuriken at the foul creatures, making them fall dead before they could even reach their targets. As for the ones that did manage to reach her, she slew them with her sword in fluid motions, hacking and slashing left and right.

Naruto for his part was desperately trying once again to free himself, as he wasn't particularly fond of being defenseless as an army of deadly animals were trying to kill him. His blood froze when he felt one of the spider start crawling over him until he was face to face with the damn thing. He attempted to scream when the creature bared its fangs, ready to inject its venom into his body, when a kunai planted itself in the arachnid's head, courtesy of the crazy Kunoichi, and the animal fell lifeless to the side. Relief washed over the blond at the demise of his predator. But he soon perked up when he noticed that the Kunai that killed the spider was still embedded in its body and was within his reach, and started crawling towards the corpse of the animal. Once Naruto closed the distance he turned his body and used his hands to search the corpse over, and ignoring his goosebumps at touching such a repulsive creature he continued touching the body until he grasped the handle of the kunai. After a moment of pulling the weapon, he finally felt the kunai detach itself from the dead body, and without wasting another second he started cutting the ropes in his hands. Luckily his captor was too busy fending off the rest of the spiders to notice his actions.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi was still slashing relentlessly the swarm of arachnids. It was difficult to keep both the idiot and herself out of harms way that she didn't get a single moment to catch her breath. After a few minutes of non-stop cutting, she finally finished off the remainder of the spiders. She gave a sigh of relief, glad to be done dealing with such disgusting things. _''Ewww, some of them touched me! I hate spiders''_ the thought made her queasy, but at least it was over. Suddenly, she heard the distinctive sound of metal cutting through the air. She got a cut on her cheek as she barely managed to dodge a Kunai aimed for her head. She turned around and saw that the Konoha moron had somehow freed himself, and he looked pissed. She narrowed her eyes at the new threat and unsheathed her sword once more. ''So, you used the distraction that the spiders provided to your advantage, clever. But I'm done being nice. Next time I'm gonna cut off your limbs and cauterize the wounds, maybe that will keep you still.''

Naruto's face showed nothing but ire for the Kunoichi. He knew he wasn't in the best state to be fighting. He hadn't eaten in two days, neither did he have anything to drink and on top of that he didn't even get any sleep the last night. All thanks to the Iwa bitch. But right now he didn't care about that, he was resolute to get her back for all that she put him through, tenfold. He joined his hands and made a hand seal. ''Kage Bunshin No Jutsu!(Shadow Clone Technique)''

Ten copies of the blond appeared around Kurotsuchi. She clicked her tongue in annoyance at seeing the technique once more. ''Is that Jutsu the only thing you can do? You really are a one-trick pony, aren't you?'' She readied herself as the Shadow clones rushed at her with an enraged yell. Her dexterity allowed her to evade the attacks and countered with slashes of her sword, dispelling them one by one.

The young Jinchuuriki responded by making double the previous amount of clones, and once again the small army of clones rushed at the Kunoichi, ready to beat her to a pulp.

 _''give me a break, I hate that Jutsu!''_ thought Kurotsuchi with exasperation at the repeated use of the annoying technique. She quickly made some hand seals of her own and put her palms on the ground. ''Doton: Doryousou! (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)'' In an instant, countless spikes made of stone starting extending from the ground, impaling and dispelling the rampaging clones. However, she noted that all the blonds had disappeared, which meant that the original wasn't among them. '' _where did that idiot go?''_ She thought while looking around attentively for any kind of sign that gave the boy's location away.

''Rasengan! (Spiraling sphere)''

She looked up in surprise and saw the Konoha Shinobi with a ball of blue Chakra in his hand coming directly at her. As the attack closed in, she barely managed to erect a small dome made of rock around her. But the earth structure couldn't stop the attack completely and she was sent sailing through it, but she righted herself and managed to land while standing. She had at least weakened the sphere of condensed Chakra enough that it didn't hurt her too much.

As soon as Naruto saw the Kunoichi smash through the stone shelter, he quickly grabbed one of the kunai still laying around and rushed at the pink-eyed girl.

Said girl saw him coming and pulled out her sword to parry the kunai stabs. The sound of steel meeting steel resonated in the clearing as both fighters attempted to get the upper hand.

Finally, their weapons stopped as they clashed against each other and both users glared daggers at the other. While both Shinobi pushed trying to overpower their enemy, Naruto remembered the bandages in the girl's torso. So he took his chance and kicked in place to the Kunoichi's midriff.

Kurotsuchi gave a loud cry as the kick connected with her stomach and momentarily stumbled at the sharp pain from her still-healing injury.

Naruto rushed to continue pressing the attack, but she once again parried the kunai and used her other hand to deliver a solid punch to his face. The force of the blow was reinforced by her newly reignited anger and sent him a few meters away from the girl.

The irate Kunoichi took the moment of respite to examine her wound with her hand, and her rage increased at seeing her blood stained palm. Her wound had reopened. _''To hell with the mission, I'm gonna fucking kill him!''_ She glanced at the blond that had started to stand again and yelled at the top of her lungs. ''I'm gonna kill you, moron! You hear me?! You are fucking dead!'' She gripped her sword tightly and charged at Naruto before he could fully pick himself up, and poised her sword to pierce his heart. But before she could close the distance a bolt of lightning struck the earth between her and the blond and stopped her dead in her tracks.

''Both of you, drop your weapons and stand down!'' Both Naruto and Kurotsuchi looked around them to find at least a couple dozen of Kumo Shinobi surrounding them. You could tell they were from Kumo by their dark gray uniforms with white flak jacket and forehead protectors.

One of the Kumo ninjas took a step forward. He had spiky brown hair and had a green line on the length of his nose. Aside from the standard Kumo uniform he also wore a gray scarf. ''Drop your weapons and stand down, I won't repeat myself again!'' As he said that, the rest of the Kumo ninja drew their weapons, ready to put them down if they made a move to attack.

Naruto was still surprised by the turn of events but complied nonetheless. He dropped the kunai before standing up completely.

Kurotsuchi was still furious and sore, so she hesitated for a moment. But after thinking it over she finally gave a resigned huff and threw her sword and took off her weapon pouch, letting it fall off to the floor too.

When the Kumo Shinobi saw their cooperation, they relaxed a bit, but they were still on guard. ''What is the meaning of this? Why are a Konoha and Iwa Shinobi trespassing in Kumo's territory? You better answer truthfully if you know what's good for you.'' Continued to ask the same Shinobi with the green stripe on his nose.

Naruto was the first to speak. ''This crazy bitch is trying to kill me, that's what happens! She and her Iwa friends attacked me and my Sensei. And somehow I ended up here after that.'' He said pointing at the girl accusingly.

''Shut up, Konoha scum!'' said Kurotsuchi snarling at Naruto with hatred, before addressing the Kumo Shinobi. ''This guy is a target of my village. Kumo and Iwa are on good terms, aren't we? Well, you would be doing Iwa a great service if you help me apprehend this son of a bitch.''

''W-wait a minute! Konoha and Kumo are neutral too! You can't just let this hag do as she wishes!'' Said a nervous Naruto, worried at the possibility that they would listen to her.

''No one wants your opinion, trash! And what do you mean 'hag'?! You don't look that much younger than me!'' Replied the pink-eyed girl with indignation.

''Well, you could have fooled me! You are so ugly you don't even look like a girl!'' Retaliated Naruto, with as much venom in his voice as the girl.

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes in contempt at the blond. ''Keep digging your grave deeper, you piece of shit. Just wait until I get my hands on you-''

''Silence!'' the thundering yell of the brown haired man made Naruto and Kurotsuchi halt their argument and returned their startled looks to him. ''I won't tolerate you fighting within our borders. And despite what you say, there is no evidence to say that you are not spies. People aren't supposed to be able to find this place easily after all.''

This caused both teenagers to get equal looks of disbelief. ''Spies? I would rather die than work alongside this asshole! No way we would be spying together.'' Said Kurotsuchi trying rid herself of any suspicion.

''That's right, you got it all wrong! There is no way I would work with this crazy bitch!'' Agreed Naruto with the girl.

However, the Kumo ninja remained firm in his conviction. ''It's true that it would be extremely unlikely for Iwa and Konoha to work together. but be as it may, we can't just trust your word. So I'm afraid that we will have to put you both into custody until we think what to do with you. If you resist we will use lethal force.'' He signaled the rest of his Shinobi to arrest both Naruto and Kurotsuchi.

Both the blond and the girl didn't put any resistance. As things were right now, they were in no position to be fighting a squad of Shinobi, not with their injuries, and starvation in Naruto's case. So they begrudgingly refrained themselves from starting a fight as the Kumo Shinobi started tying them up.

-Turtle Island Prison Cells-

Naruto and Kurotsuchi were kept in separate but adjacent cells, just in front of each other on opposite sides and they both could see each other through the metal bars. The room and cells were small, so it was obvious that the island wasn't meant to hold prisoners and the cells were just temporary solutions should the need arise. The ropes binding them had their legs completely wrapped and they couldn't move their hands at all with another set of ropes tightly adjusted to keep their wrists behind their backs. And even if they somehow could find a way to set themselves free, a couple of Kumo ninja were guarding the only exit outside.

Naruto was especially miffed. He had just managed to free himself from the Iwa banshee just to end up as someone else's prisoner. And they still didn't even let him eat anything!

''Konoha scum, this is all your fault!'' The Jinchuuriki turned to glare at his cell companion, But the girl continued her rant anyway. ''If you had just obeyed when I told you to, we could have avoided the spiders and we wouldn't be here right now!''

The boy got angry in indignation at the girl's accusations. ''Oh so now is my fault?! If you and the rest of the Iwa bastards hadn't bothered me, we wouldn't be in this mess in the first place! So I think is pretty obvious who are the biggest assholes here! And stop calling me that, I have a name, it's Naruto!''

''I don't give a rat's ass what you are called!'' She yelled at the boy, not caring at all for what he had to say. ''And they even took away the sword my mother gave me! If I don't get it back I will make you pay for that with your head!''

Naruto was dumbfounded that she would care about such a thing at the moment. ''Who cares about a stupid sword?! We have bigger problems than a lost weapon! Have your mom give you another one or something for fuck's sake!'' Naruto didn't think it was possible for the girl's gaze to become any colder, but somehow it did.

She stopped her outburst and looked at him darkly.''My mother is dead. She was killed by Konoha trash like you.'' The malice in her voice could have frozen anyone's blood.

That made Naruto's eyes widen. He remembered what Jiraiya had said about the bitterness that the war left between Iwa and Konoha, but the girl was young, so he hadn't expected her to have lost someone too. Even with recent events, he couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the brash Kunoichi. As someone who grew without a family, he could sympathize. The empty feeling of longing for the love of a parent was something that Naruto knew all too well.

She noticed the blond's surprised face, so she continued her tirade. ''Such a shame that we weren't allowed to kill you. It goes against my principles to spare any of you, murderers. If it was up to me, I would see you and your kind dead at my feet.''

Naruto's pity vanished as fast as it had come. He couldn't tolerate his home and comrades being labeled murderers by the ignorant girl. ''Not all of us are like that! You don't even know me or my friends!''

''Tell that to the families of all the people that Konoha assholes like you have killed!'' Threw the Kunoichi back at him.

''That was a long time ago! It's precisely because you idiots can't pull your heads out of your ass to live in the present instead of the past, that this enmity still exists! If you guys were reasonable we could have peace!'' Said Naruto, grinding his teeth in frustration.

She gave a laugh filled with ridicule. ''Hah, You really are a moron if you think such a thing is possible.''

''You can't know that! In fact, when I become Hokage I will try to fix the relations between our villages. Living with bitterness is not the answer.'' Said Naruto with determination.

Kurotsuchi looked baffled at the Jinchuuriki. ''Wow, your stupidity never ceases to amaze me. You Hokage? Peace? You are just a brat living in your own little pink-colored world filled with unicorns and rainbows. Wake up, this the real world! If anyone is gonna become a Kage is me. And let me tell you, once I become Tsuchikage the first thing I'll do is crush your pathetic village!''

Naruto had already lost all his patience at her close-mindedness. ''You are such a detestable girl, you know that?! Your sight is so clouded with hatred that you can't see anything else!''

''And you are a delusional moron that thinks he can change the world if he wishes hard enough! You are ridiculous!'' Said the girl just as pissed off as her fellow prisoner.

They stared hotly at each other, breathing heavily with anger, until they both gave a huff and turned their heads away, not bearing to look at the other right now. They stayed silent after that. Having spent all their remaining energy yelling at each other left them a bit more mellow.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, Naruto realized something concerning his cell partner. ''Hey.'' He called to the girl on the other side of the room.

She was resting her head against the wall. When she heard the idiot talk she turned her pink eyes to him, not bothering to move her head. ''What do you want, Dipshit?''

''I didn't catch your name.'' Asked Naruto with a serious face.

She gave him a look of utter disbelief. _''is this guy for real?''_ They had tried to kill each other just a couple hours ago, and now he wanted to make small talk? ''My name is not your business. And why the fuck do you care anyway?''

Naruto gave a shrug and squinted his eyes. ''Well, we don't know how long we will be here having to put up with each other, and calling you by your name seems a better option than 'Iwa bitch'. Besides, I already told you mine.''

She just continued to stare at him with incredulity. ''Don't call me anything. Don't even talk to me at all. Period.'' She then proceeded to continue staring at the wall, ignoring the look of annoyance of the blond at her dismissal. After a moment, she closed her eyes and sighed. If she had to tolerate the moron for who knew how long, she supposed that it was preferable to have him call her by her name than with undesirable nicknames. And he didn't seem like the type to keep quiet, so she might as well make the best of the situation, as hard as it may be. ''Kurotsuchi.''

Naruto looked at her, puzzled. He hadn't expected her to say anything anymore. ''Huh?''

''My name is Kurotsuchi! There, you happy? Now stop bothering me!'' Said the young prodigy in exasperation at the boy's lack of attentiveness. She then turned her head to the side to avoid looking at the idiot anymore.

Naruto was starting to get peeved again at her insufferable attitude. ''Fine! is not like talking to you is enjoyable anyway!'' He finally decided to stop concerning himself with the troublesome girl. She was acting so obnoxious that it wasn't even worth it to try to have a civilized conversation. And he had bigger things to worry about anyway. For instance, he didn't know what happened to the Ero-Sennin, but he had faith that the old pervert was alright. He knew the Sage was strong, even if his quirks didn't reflect that. He guessed that Jiraiya had to be looking for him at the moment. He could only hope that he managed to find him soon.

Kurotsuchi's anger had mostly died down by now and was replaced instead with fear. She worried about what would happen to her. She didn't want to die so far away from home, and it wouldn't even be a glorious death on top of it. She didn't even care for her mission right now, she just wanted to return home with her friends and family.

And so both teenagers found themselves lost in their thoughts. Knowing that the only thing they could do now was to wait for the Kumo ninja to decide their fate. They just hoped that they could get out in one piece.

 **Author's note:**

 **And there it is, the fifth chapter! This one took me longer than I thought it would, mainly because even tough I have a general idea of how I want the events to unfold, I have trouble deciding EXACTLY how they should. And the other thing that kept this update for so long is that someone got me a copy of MGS V for my birthday, and OMG is that game good! literally I did nothing for 4 days straight but play that thing, if I hadn't, this chapter would have been up much earlier. But anyway, I'm hoping you like this chapter, we finally got Naruto and Kurotsuchi to interact, but it will be a while until any real connection can be build between them, they are bitter enemies after all. Actually, I'm lucky that Naruto has such a talent for forgiving people easily and for making people trust him if he didn't I literally wouldn't have ANY faith of this pair working out. So that's all for now, I'll try to update sooner next time, and as always please review if you have the chance. Thanks for reading!**

 **Update: Yes I know that's not how reverse summon really works(I think), but I'm cheating a little bit to keep the story moving along.**


	6. Chapter 6: The Verdict

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 6: The Verdict

-Konohagakure no Sato-

Konohagakure was one of the great five Shinobi villages, and its size and population sure showed it. The village was huge and was surrounded by a thick green forest that gave the place an air of calmness. The village was at the base of a mountain that had the faces of all the previous Hokage sculpted to honor the beloved leaders. The buildings ranged from small to big, but by far the tallest was the Hokage tower.

Right now Tsunade, the Godaime Hokage, was going through several stacks of paperwork and was none too happy about it. She was a blonde woman with long straight hair that framed her face that she kept in two loose ponytails. She was light-skinned with brown eyes and had a small violet mark in a diamond-like shape on her forehead. Her attire consisted of a gray kimono that showed her rather generous cleavage, dark blue pants and a green haori with the Kanji for 'gamble' in the back.

''Does this ever end? I have been doing this all day and I swear that the stacks aren't getting any smaller.'' Complained the blonde haired beauty and gave a frustrated sigh.

At that moment, her apprentice, Shizune, entered the office carrying an extra stack of papers. Which made Tsunade drop her head against the desk in frustration at having yet even more work.

''Come on Tsunade-Sama, it's not so bad. Only a few hours left and you are done for the day.'' Said Shizune. The Hokage's apprentice was a young woman with straight shoulder-length black hair and dark eyes. She was wearing a black kimono and like her master, she used High heeled sandals.

''If it's no big deal why don't you do the paperwork, Shizune?'' Said the busty blonde, still face down on the desk.

''W-Well, you see, I'm more useful tending to other tasks around here. I have my fair share of work too, you know. Yes, that's it'' Responded the raven haired girl with a nervous grin and a hand behind her head, which gave away her excuse.

''That's what I thought.'' Said Tsunade, eyeing the young girl with a deadpan look.

''Tsunade!'' both women gave a jump of surprise at the noise, and not a moment later Jiraiya appeared in the office, entering through the window.

The sage was almost out of breath, his clothes were ragged and one could see spots of blood here and there. His unusual appearance put the women on edge.

''Jiraiya? God, what happened to you?! And where is Naruto?! You guys were supposed to arrive a month from now.'' Asked a worried Tsunade. Something bad had to have happened to the pervert and Naruto for Jiraiya to be in this state.

''There is no time to lose, Hime. We were attacked by a squad from Iwa and members of Akatsuki. I lost Naruto in the chaos and I haven't managed to find him. I need a tracker team to help find him and I need it now'' Said Jiraiya with urgency, he was in such a hurry that he didn't even have the time to catch up with his old teammate.

After hearing that her surrogate godson was in trouble, Tsunade didn't waste another second and turned to her apprentice. ''Shizune! Fetch me team eight at once, along with Kakashi and Sakura! Move it!'' Shouted the healer with authority to the raven haired woman.

''Yes, Tsunade-Sama!'' Responded Shizune, sprinting for the exit. She was just as worried as her master and Jiraiya, as Naruto was like a little brother to her.

As soon as Shizune left, Tsunade looked once more to her former teammate with a stern face, showing she was serious now. ''Jiraiya, while we wait for them to get here, you are gonna tell me exactly what happened and you better not leave any details out.''

Jiraiya gulped. He knew that whenever Tsunade got like this it usually meant extreme bodily harm for him, but he started detailing everything to the full extent anyway, knowing that whatever punishment the Hokage gave him would be worth taking if it meant saving Naruto.

-Unknown Location-

Itachi and Kisame were in a cave, standing in a circle along with seven other figures that seemed to be some type of holograms.

''Well done. Our efforts in capturing the Yonbi and Gobi have been successful. We will soon begin the transfer to the Gedo Mazo'' Said the silhouette of a tall man with spiky hair, but his eyes were the feature that really stood out, as they were completely purple with a circular ripple-like pattern.

''I hope I was worth it, Pain-Sama. I lost my arm for that, un.'' Said another figure with the voice of Deidara.

''Good thing we didn't lose anything important then.'' replied another of the shadowy silhouettes, laughing at his own joke.

''Shut up, Hidan! I'll make you regret being immortal when I blow you up in a million pieces with my art!'' Yelled Deidara, enraged at his comrade.

''I'd like to see you try with only one arm.'' Mocked the figure now known as Hidan.

''Enough, both of you!'' Said the purple eyed man, and as soon as he reprimanded them they both stopped their dispute. When everything went silent again, the man resumed speaking. ''Speaking of which, we need to do something about that missing arm. We are going to go after the Ichibi soon. Suna's dessert is vast. When we capture the Ichibi there will be no place to hide from Suna's reinforcements. Deidara can grab the Jinchuuriki and get him out fast, so we will need him in top form. That's why I need Kakuzu to find a suitable body and attach its arm to Deidara.'' Said Pain to another figure with pupil-less green eyes and red sclera.

''Hmmm, fine. But I'll charge him for that.'' Said the figure now identified as Kakuzu.

''Hey, what happened to being a good comrade, huh?!'' Complained Deidara in indignation to the greedy man.

''All that matters in this world is money. Camaraderie has no place in business.'' Said Kakuzu sternly.

''You bastard!'' Said the bomber shaking a fist at the man.

''Be grateful that you are getting it back at all. You shouldn't have been so careless to lose it in the first place, idiot.'' Spoke a hunched figure that couldn't have been anyone else but Sasori.

''Not you too, Sasori no Danna!''

''That's enough of that. Just see to it that it gets done.'' Said Pain, putting an end to the topic. He instead turned to Itachi and Kisame and looked at them with emotionless purple eyes. ''And what about the Kyuubi?''

This time, it was Itachi who replied. ''We are sorry to inform that the Jinchuuriki was lost in the commotion of the battle. A lone Kunoichi managed to snatch the Kyuubi and ran off with our target. Their current whereabouts are unknown.''

''But the good news is that not even their allies seem to know where they are, which means that he is still out there and even more vulnerable than before.'' Said Kisame, trying to put a positive spin on their failure. He wasn't proud to be the one who lost the boy, especially when he had had him in his hands. ''We made sure of it. We returned to look for the Kyuubi once again. And after hunting down the measly search party that Iwa left behind, I was able to torture out of them all they knew about it. Before I killed them that is.'' Finished the man with a wicked grin.

''Then we should be on the lookout should the Jinchuuriki reappear. Even if the Kyuubi must be the last Biju to be sealed into the Gedo Mazo we can always confine him until we are ready for the extraction. Right now he is an easy catch, and we should not let the opportunity go to waste.'' Said Pain before turning to the rest of the members once more. ''Just one more thing. As soon as we find the Kyubi I shall send whichever team is the closest to him. So I need you all to be ready at a moment's notice. That will be all for now. This meeting is dismissed.'' Said Pain with finality.

After the leader put an end to the gathering, all the holograms vanished, leaving Itachi and Kisame alone in the cave.

''Well, there is that. I was so sure Leader-Sama was gonna get mad at us for letting the Kyuubi get away. I guess we are pretty lucky, eh, Itachi-San.'' Said the swordsman to his partner with a cocky grin.

''Indeed. Come, Kisame. We too have to continue our tasks.'' Said Itachi impassively as he turned to leave.

''Right behind you, Itachi-San.'' Replied the tall man before following after the Uchiha.

And so, both members left the cave to continue their duties.

-Turtle Island-

Darui stepped on the island and stretched his arms over his head, glad to finally reach his destination. He was tall, had dark skin and shaggy white hair that was just long enough to cover his left eye. He used the standard clothes used by Kumo ninja, but his was missing the sleeves. On his right shoulder was tattooed the Kanji for 'water' and on his left had the Kanji for 'lightning'. He also carried a cleaver-like sword strapped to his back.

He had been on a mission close to the coast when he got a message from the Raikage telling him that they had a situation in the Genbu(Turtle Island). Apparently, a couple of foreign Shinobi had somehow found the elusive island. That would usually mean that they were spies, but the fact that the two were from nations that hated each other made for a weird situation. So as the right hand of the Raikage it was only appropriate for him to deal with the issue personally. But Darui guessed that the real reason was that he was simply closer to the island and it was easier and more effective to send him to evaluate the situation himself.

He didn't wait long until the same Chunin with the green stripe on his nose showed himself to the dark skinned man.

''Glad that you could come, Darui-San. How was your trip?'' Asked the man in greeting to the respected Shinobi.

''You know how it is, Motoi-San. This place is always a pain to find, even with our Intel on its predicted path. But other than that the trip was uneventful.''Responded Darui in the calm and aloof manner that he usually displayed.

''Good to hear. Wish we could say the same, though. None of us has ever dealt with this situation.'' Said Motoi with a sigh and putting his hands on his waist. ''It's been such a long time since anyone besides our own men managed to reach this place.''

''Have they given you any trouble?'' Inquired Darui. He needed to know of anything suspicious they might have tried if he was to make a decision on what to do with them.

''Aside from when they were trying to tear each other apart when we first found them, no. They usually remain calm and silent in their cells, but once in a while, they start arguing among themselves. They are pretty loud when that happens, it drives the guards insane.'' Informed the lower ranked ninja to his superior.

Darui nodded in understanding. He didn't expect anything different. Having a Konoha and Iwa Shinobi together was like having cats and dogs together, so having them yell at each other was a given. ''I see. So you don't think they were spying together, then?''

Motoi paused for a moment, thinking over the behavior he had witnessed from the two until now. ''To be Frank, no, I don't think they are working together. Not only are they from enemy villages, but they really seem to not stand the other. But still, we can never be too careful.''

''Can you take me to them? I want to make my own opinion on the prisoners before I decide what to do with them.'' Said Darui a little more serious now.

Motoi nodded and signaled Darui to follow him as he led the way.

-Turtle Island's Cells-

The growls from Naruto's stomach resonated in the cell room. He and Kurotsuchi had been there for a day and a half. The Kumo ninjas had yet to talk to them to let them know their verdict. They only came from time to time to check on them and make sure everything was in order. And on top of that Naruto still had yet to eat. The orange-clad Genin was sitting in his cell complaining due to his hunger. And the pink-eyed girl was leaning against the stone wall with her eyes closed, trying to ignore the loud Konoha Shinobi.

''What I wouldn't give for a bowl of ramen right now. I'm starving.'' Lamented the Jinchuuriki while daydreaming with the marvelous food of Ichiraku ramen. How he missed his home. The longing of his favorite restaurant made his mouth water, much to the disdain of the Iwa Kunoichi. The sight of his drooling mouth made his cell partner grimace.

''I heard you the first twenty times, shut up already!'' Berated Kurotsuchi. Her patience was running thin, she had been tolerating the boy's noise (from both the blond himself and his stomach) for hours now, and she was sick of it. ''I'm hungry too and you don't see me bitching about it nonstop. And wipe your drool off, you are so disgusting!''

''You have no right to be telling me that! You are the reason I have been going for so long without food!'' Said Naruto, turning to look at the girl with an accusatory look.

The Iwa prodigy rolled her eyes uncaringly. ''At least they gave us water a couple hours back. That's more than you deserve. Also, I think I'm gonna start smashing my head against the wall if I hear you talk about ramen one more time.''

''And what's wrong with ramen? After all, nothing beats ramen when it comes to taste, Dattebayo.'' Said Naruto with assurance.

''Ramen is decent I suppose but is not that great, not nearly as much as you praise it anyway. Besides, it's unhealthy. I much rather have barbecue any day over ramen.'' Said Kurotsuchi as if she were explaining it to a child.

Naruto was in shock. For him, that affirmation was practically blasphemy. ''There is no way barbecue is better than ramen! Barbecue is only meat. Ramen can have meat too, but it can also have a lot of other stuff in it. There is simply no comparison!''

The Kunoichi was getting upset again. The obsession of the blond for his precious ramen was ridiculous. ''You Konoha idiots must not know how to cook meat then because in Iwa we at least... Wait, why are we even talking about this? We are imprisoned, for fucks sake! You are the one who complained about me worrying about my sword, and here you are daydreaming about junk food!''

''At least I'm trying to think about something else! We can't do much more than wait anyway.'' Replied Naruto, attempting to calm the hysteric girl.

''We were trespassing, we could die for that, you moron! At least show some concern for your sorry ass!'' Reminded him the short haired prodigy.

''I know that but...'' Whatever the boy wanted to say was interrupted when they both heard the door of the room open.

They saw the guy with the green line enter the building, closely followed by a white haired man that they had never seen before and the two guards that usually guarded their small prison.

They eyed the newcomer as he made his way to them. He calmly walked across the room and stopped in front of them, just between their cells.

Darui just stood there, looking back and forth between the two prisoners, evaluating them. Finally after a moment of awkwardly staring at each other, the Kumo Jounin spoke. ''So, you are the troublemakers. I'm surprised. I was expecting seasoned ninja, but you are just kids. How dull.''

they both seemed to take offense and frowned at Darui's comment on their age, thinking that it was a jab to their skills. Said man noticed the looks they were giving him, regardless, he continued talking.

''Sorry. I meant no disrespect. When I heard about this commotion I didn't expect the ones responsible to be so young. But anyway, that's not important right now. What is important, however, is that you both tell me what are you doing here. And don't even think about lying to me. I consider myself a good judge of character and I'm pretty good at reading people.'' Even with his laid back tone, the way he said it made Naruto and Kurotsuchi think that it wasn't a good idea to piss him off, not with their necks on the chopping block.

However, before any of them could start talking, Darui widened his eyes when he took a good look to their female prisoner. ''Wait a minute. I recognize you. You are the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, are you not?'' Asked the Jounin in surprise.

Motoi and the two guards gasped at hearing her identity and started whispering among them. No one of them expected to have in custody someone so important. A direct relative of a Kage is almost considered royalty in their respective villages.

Kurotsuchi mirrored Darui's expression of shock. She didn't think she would be identified so easily by the man. ''How do you know who I am?'' Asked the girl, warily.

Darui's surprise didn't last long, and he soon returned to his relaxed demeanor. ''You have been a recent entry on the Bingo books. If I recall correctly you were added because of your exceptional talent despite being so young. There have even been some rumors about you being a possible candidate for Tsuchikage in the future. As the boss's assistant, I always try to memorize individuals that stand out. Like you.'' Explained the man in an apparent calm, but knew that this made the situation even more problematic. If they were to kill the girl, it could cause an international incident; in fact, open war was a very real possibility, so he had to handle this carefully.

Naruto meanwhile, stared at the tomboy with something akin to awe. He hadn't really believed her when she said she would become Tsuchikage, he thought that she was simply making fun of his own dream of becoming Hokage. He couldn't help but feel a bit envious and competitive. He couldn't accept that such an unpleasant girl could be beating him in his goal, even to the point of being recognized in foreign nations. He turned away from Kurotsuchi and instead got Darui's attention. ''Hey, Excuse me, mister!''

Said man turned to Naruto and blinked slowly in curiosity at the unexpected interruption. ''Um, what is it?''

''Do you by any chance know about me?''Asked Naruto excitedly, curious to know if he was strong enough to be known in other villages.

Darui tilted his head and stared impassively at the boy's face for a minute as Naruto waited expectantly.

''I'm sorry. Your face doesn't ring any bells.'' Said the white haired man, putting a hand behind his head in an apologetic manner.

Naruto dropped his head in disappointment as Kurotsuchi smirked triumphantly.

''That's right. I forgot to introduce myself. Sorry about that. The name's Darui. Nice to meet you, despite the circumstances'' Said the dark skinned man jovially.

The man's carefree behavior made Naruto feel more at ease. ''Glad to meet you mister Darui. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage!'' Proclaimed Naruto with a grin.

Darui and the rest of the Kumo ninja had an unreadable expression and a sweatdrop at the blond's bold declaration, while Kurotsuchi stared at the boy with a deadpan look. She thought he had to be the biggest moron on the planet to be acting so cheerful in the face of their captors.

''Umm...okay. Well, mister future Hokage, can you tell me what were you both doing here in the Genbu? This turtle island is not something that can be found just like that. So is natural that you seem suspicious'' Asked Darui to the blond, returning to the topic at hand.

Naruto widened his eyes in realization. He didn't know that this whole time he had been on the island he and the Ero-Sennin had been looking for. But soon shook off his surprise when he realized that he still needed to explain himself. So he became serious once more and started retelling his story. ''Oh right. You see, I was on a training trip with my pervert of a Sensei. And when we were sailing the ocean looking for a...a place to train, this crazy chick and an army of Iwa assholes attacked us.'' He conveniently left out that he and Jiraiya were looking for the island. Naruto wasn't the sharpest Shinobi there was, but he wasn't going to admit that he really intended to infiltrate the place, he was in enough trouble as it is. To his credit, he didn't know that the place was off limits, but he doubted that the Kumo ninja would care about his ignorance. ''So, anyway. After we were halfway through our battle with the bastards we got separated, but after we did, someone else appeared, a guy named Hoshigaki Kisame. Maybe you have heard of him.''

Once again, Darui was intrigued. Of course, he knew of Hoshigaki. He used to be the most powerful of the seven swordsmen of Kiri, and now was known as one of the most dangerous missing-nin there was. Hearing that they were attacked by such a guy made him wonder just how the heck did these kids survive. ''Yes I have heard of him. Please Go on.'' Said the Jounin with a nod.

''Well, there is not much after that. I fought him and he knocked me out. And when I woke up I was already in this place, restrained and gagged by her.'' Said the boy as he looked at the Kunoichi with a glare, which she replied to with one of her own and stuck out her tongue childishly. ''Anyway, after we were attacked by a freaking swarm of spiders I managed to escape in the chaos. After that, we fought and that's when you guys found us.'' Finished Naruto.

Darui looked suspicious, and after hearing the boy's version of the story he turned to the girl. ''Is what he said true? Anything else you wish to add?'' Asked the man.

Kurotsuchi frowned. She found strange that suddenly the man had started getting suspicious, it was obvious that he was wary of something, but she couldn't think of what. ''That's pretty much what happened. We basically just attacked him and Jiraiya, then Hoshigaki shows up and-''

''Wait. Did you say Jiraiya? As in, Jiraiya of the Sannin?!'' Asked a Shocked Darui. Motoi and the other Kumo Shinobi were also startled.

Kurotsuchi gave a nod to the white haired man. ''The same.'' confirmed the girl to the stunned men.

Just when Darui swore that they couldn't give him any more surprises, he realized what it had to mean. _''The apprentice of Jiraiya?!''_ Thought the Jounin in astonishment when he remembered that the boy mentioned that he was traveling with his Sensei. After that, he turned to Naruto once again. ''Is it true? You are the student of Jiraiya?'' The toad Sannin was one of the most respected and powerful Shinobi of Konoha, having his apprentice captive just made things more complicated. As if having the Tsuchikage's granddaughter hadn't been enough.

The blond put on a confused expression. He didn't know what the big deal was. The Sannin was strong, sure, but he was also a huge pervert that liked to peep on women at any given chance. And the old man was stingy as hell on top of that. With all the money he made from his dirty books he had to be loaded, and despite that he still liked to spend Naruto's money instead of his own. ''Um, yeah, that old pervert is my Sensei.''

 _''This is unbelievable''_ thought Darui in amazement while his companions started whispering once more. What was the chance that both of their prisoners were directly linked to such influential men? However, he still needed to focus on the task, he shouldn't let this revelation distract him. ''Boy, you said you were attacked by an army right? How many were the Iwa shinobi that attacked ?''

Naruto squinted in thought, trying to recall the huge platoon of ninja. ''I dunno. There were a lot of them, I think a hundred or something like that. Why do you ask?'' Questioned Naruto, not knowing why that was important.

Kurotsuchi, on her part, was starting to pale with worry. She realized too late what Darui was getting at.

Her suspicions were confirmed when Darui focused his whole attention on her once again. ''I find strange that you just happened to have such a big force when you engaged them, so that means that you came with the sole intention to assault them. But that raises another question: why did you need to attack them?'' Asked the white-haired man with a stern face.

Kurotsuchi was sweating bullets. The last thing she wanted right now -Besides being executed of course- was for Kumo to realize that the idiot was a Jichuuriki. If they took the Biju for themselves then all her struggles would have been in vain. ''I-I-Isn't it obvious?! We wanted to destroy potential threats to Iwa and we knew that Jiraiya wouldn't be easy to take out, and if we eliminated his student while at it all the better!'' She knew that she was screwed. That excuse was weak and she knew it, but with her nerves, she couldn't come up with a better one on the spot.

Both teenagers, and even Motoi and the guards, gave a small jerk in panic when Darui unsheathed his sword and the sound of metal meeting stone echoed when the tip of the blade touched the floor as Darui wielded it.

The Jounin glared coldly at the now bleached face of the girl. ''I warned you to not lie to me. If what you said truly was the case, then you wouldn't have bothered to keep the boy alive. I have been very lenient to both of you so far, but I can't take the risk of knowing that you may be hiding something dangerous to us. Tsuchikage's granddaughter or not I'm not just gonna let you make a fool of us.''

Naruto had a concerned look as he watched the girl tremble in fear at Darui's threat. He knew that he probably should feel glad that the girl was getting tormented for once considering that she tried to make his life miserable, but he just didn't enjoy watching another person in need, especially when they were helpless. That was just the kind of person he was.

The startled Motoi tried to reason with the Jounin. ''Wait a moment, Darui-San! We should think this through first! Killing someone related to a Kage is not to be taken lightly.''

Darui ignored the protests of his fellow Kumo ninja, inserting his cleaver-like sword between the bars of the cell and lifted Kurotsuchi's head with the flat side of the blade to force her to look him in the eye. ''Now, tell me what were your true reasons. By your reaction, I can guess it's something big, and I need to know every detail for you being here, especially if it's important. Last chance to tell me, or else.'' He left the threat hanging in the air to let it sink in into the girl.

Kurotsuchi had lost all her bravado by now. Her face was frozen in terror as she trembled in fear. She didn't want everything to end, not like this! She didn't want to dishonor her village, but she didn't want to lose her life over the mission either. She decided that it was best to lose her pride than her head. She started to open her mouth to give a reply but was interrupted before she could.

''I'm the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.'' Said Naruto, intervening in their conversation.

That confession made everyone go silent and turned to look at the boy in shock, unsure if they heard him right. Motoi and the guards were agape, Darui was staring wide-eyed at the blond and Kurotsuchi was surprised and confused that the idiot had revealed something so delicate to save her neck.

''That can't be...'' Mumbled Motoi, still speechless. A Jinchuuriki was the ultimate weapon of their respective villages, having one of them captive was a serious matter. That fact alone was enough reason to cause an international incident.

''You can check if you want. The seal is in my belly'' Said Naruto with a serious face to the dumbfounded Kumo ninja.

Darui withdrew his blade from Kurotsuchi, to which the girl gave a sigh of relief at having the focus diverted from her, and signaled the Chunin to inspect the boy's claims.

Motoi and the two guards hastily entered Naruto's cell. The Brown haired Chunin knelt down to lift the boy's jacket, exposing his stomach. After Naruto channeled some Chakra a collective intake of breath was heard in the room as the spiral pattern of the eight trigrams seal manifested itself in the blond's skin.

''It's true! He is a Jinchuuriki! What do we do, Darui-San?!'' Asked Motoi at a loss of what to do about this development.

Darui had almost dropped his blade when he saw the seal and he couldn't take away his eyes from the ink pattern. He had seen enough. Now he knew that the situation was a lot more complicated than he could have ever thought it would be when he was first called here. He was now just starting to understand the magnitude of the issue. Iwa had sent an entire battalion, among them the Tsuchikage's granddaughter, to try to kill Jiraiya of the Sannin and capture Konoha's Jinchuuriki, which was the student of said Sannin on top of that. And now both nations probably thought that both the Jinchuuriki and the girl were dead or captured by the enemy.

This was the kind of stuff that could start wars, and Darui didn't want Kumo to be anywhere close if the shit hit the fan. Oh, he knew that the Raikage wouldn't concern himself with the possibility of pissing off the other nations. Ay wasn't a man that backed out from a fight, but he had sent Darui to handle the matter himself. And personally, the right hand of the Raikage didn't want to involve Kumo in the mess that was sure to come, not if he could help it. So there was only one thing to do: Wash his nation's hands from all of this.

Motoi and the two other Kumo Shinobi were waiting impatiently for Darui's answer, while Naruto and Kurotsuchi looked at the man with sweat running down their faces in anticipation for whatever his decision might be.

Finally, Darui spoke. ''Motoi-San. Please gather some of our men from the island and make a team for me. I'm gonna escort these two to the border.''

The order surprised everyone, especially Naruto and Kurotsuchi.

''Wait a minute! Are you really gonna let us go just like that?'' Asked the girl, incredulously.

''Really? Heck, yea! I knew you seemed like a nice guy, mister!'' Exclaimed the blond in gratitude.

''Are you sure about this, Darui-San? They found the Genbu, after all.'' Said Motoi, uncertain if this was the right idea.

''Everything points that they really found this place by mere chance. I don't think they could find this place again even if they tried. Right now I just don't want to involve ourselves with whatever problem Iwa and Konoha have among them. So please Motoi-San, just find the team I asked for.'' Said Darui with resolution.

''As you wish, Darui-San'' Finished Motoi with a salute and swiftly left to start his endeavor.

As the Chunin left, Darui turned to the two guards. ''Please, let these two out of there, and release them from their bindings. I have faith that they will behave. Isn't that right?'' He said as he turned to give a look of warning to the two teenagers.

''Of course!'' responded Naruto and Kurotsuchi in unison.

The dark skinned man nodded in approval and the two men started opening the cells to free the captives. ''Good to hear. It would be dull to get into trouble with your nations if I ended up killing you, so don't force me to. I don't like to brag, but I'm not the boss's right hand for nothing. I can carry myself pretty well in a fight.''

Kurotsuchi rubbed her wrists as she stood up, glad to finally be able to move her limbs. She had been immobile for more than a day so it was natural to feel sore. She couldn't wait to get out of there and stretch her legs.

''Hey'' Called Darui to the girl.

The pink-eyed prodigy turned to look at the Jounin with wariness. She was still shaken up from before.

The man gave her an apologetic look and put a hand on his neck. ''I'm sorry about before. I wasn't really gonna kill you. I just wanted to make you talk and thought that was the most effective way to do it. I hope you are not angry.''

''Of course not. Why would I be angry?'' Said the Kunoichi through clenched teeth and with a nervous tic. _''you put a blade to my neck, threatened me, and humiliated me. Of course I'm angry!''_ thought the girl while trying to keep herself calm.

''Ahhh. Feels good to be able to move freely again!'' Said Naruto with a grin while stretching his arms over his head. ''Thanks a lot, mister Darui! When can we go?''

''We will be on our way as soon as Motoi comes back. It shouldn't be long. But I must warn you, I don't want you fighting each other on the way. I don't care if you want to rip each other's guts, just don't do it while you are on the Land of Lightning.'' Explained Darui calmly to the teenagers.

Kurotsuchi looked at Naruto with Disdain and narrowed her eyes. ''Fine by me. Just don't let him get close to me. I can't stand the idiot.''

''Same here! Like I would want to be anywhere close to someone like you!'' Replied Naruto hotly.

Darui was already dreading the trip. Not even seconds after telling them to behave they were throwing insults at each other.

''Mister Darui!'' Called Naruto cheerfully to the man.

''Hmm. What is it?'' Asked the Jounin, turning to look at the blond.

''Can I make a request before we go?'' begged the boy with his hands clapped together.

''Go ahead'' Replied Darui with curiosity.

''Can we eat something first? I'm starving!'' Said Naruto with a hand in his stomach for emphasis.

Kurotsuchi groaned in exasperation at once again hearing the blond complain about his hunger.

''Sure I guess...''Said the white haired man, taken back by the blond's carefree and cheerful disposition.

''All right!'' yelled Naruto and giving a jump in victory.

''Why can't you stay quiet for even a minute, dumbass!'' Reprimanded the Kunoichi, ready to restart their argument.

Darui gave a sigh at the turn of events. _''This isn't exactly how I expected my day to go''_

 **Author's notes:**

 **This chapter took me a lot longer to write than I first anticipated, sorry about that. I originally planned to have Naruto and Kurotsuchi meet killer bee, but I remembered that Ay doesn't let killer bee leave Kumo. The guy had to make everyone think he had been captured by Sasuke just to get a break for a while, so it wouldn't have made sense to have him on the Island, but Darui was a good option too. I'm happy how it turned out.**

 **I have to say, this story has made me have a newfound respect for the authors that are always uploading long-ass chapters so regularly. This is the most I can do right now in about a week, it's insane! Granted, I'm busy with college and a job, but still I have nothing but admiration for writers.**

 **And that's all for now! please Review if you have the chance, that is always appreciated! See ya in the next update!**


	7. Chapter 7: Pressing Worries

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 7: Pressing Worries

-Land Of Lightning-

Naruto, Darui, Kurotsuchi, and five Kumo Chunin had been traveling for a whole day to the border of the Land of Lightning and the Land Of Frost. So far the journey had been uneventful, which Darui was grateful for, and with the current speed of their sprint, they shouldn't take longer than a few hours to reach their destination. Surprisingly both the Konoha Jinchuuriki and the Tsuchikage's granddaughter had kept their end of the deal and managed to keep things civilized, if only because they made a point to not even address each other at all. But the white-haired Jounin couldn't complain. As long as things were calm while they were in the Land of Lightning he didn't care if they were waiting for the first chance to kill each other when they arrived at their destination. In fact, things had been rather tranquil. The girl had barely said a word since they left, and the Jinchuuriki only spoke from time to time to ask questions and make small talk.

''It won't be long before we reach the Land Of Frost. Once we get there just get on your way to your respective Nations.'' Said Darui to his travel companions.

''Just so we are clear on this. We get there, you leave, and then the idiot and I stay there to our own devices?'' Asked the Kunoichi, surprising Darui as she was breaking her silence for the first time since they started their travel.

''Yea. That's about right.'' Confirmed the dark skinned man.

Naruto frowned at that. He wasn't sure that he could trust Kurotsuchi to not try anything once their Kumo escort left them by themselves. He at least hoped that the girl had some sense of honor and remembered that he helped her back in The island by revealing his status as a Jinchuuriki. It wasn't like he was afraid of fighting her or anything, but he much preferred not waste time in a pointless fight and reunite with his perverted Sensei as soon as he had the chance.

Kurotsuchi for her part was just itching to finally be rid of the Kumo Shinobi to get the chance to tear the blond idiot a new one. These complications aside, she was still on a mission and she intended to finish it. So she still had to subdue and capture the Jinchuuriki once again. She smirked at the thought that she may be able to pull off an S-ranked mission without further help, it would certainly look good on her record.

Darui glanced at the Konoha and Iwa teenagers and based on their looks he could get a pretty good idea of what their concerns were; they didn't make an effort to mask it in the first place. He sighed in resignation at that, as he knew it wasn't his place to be mediating their issues. His task was to get them out of the Land of Lightning and that was it. It was a shame that they would most likely end up killing each other, he kinda liked the brash kids.

And so, with different levels of anticipation, their travel continued like that for the next few hours.

-Iwagakure no Sato-

Kitsuchi, Akatsuchi, and the remaining Iwa platoon stared in horror at the ruined gates of Iwagakure. They had returned as fast as they could as soon as they heard that Deidara, now a member of Akatsuki, had attacked their village and had done quite a number on it too, but they never expected the damage to be this extense. As far as they could see, most of the buildings had suffered some form of damage; some were about to crumble down, others barely had a dent, but it seemed that the vast majority had at least something.

Kitsuchi made an effort to try and stay calm and collected even with his initial shock and proceeded to relay new orders to his men. ''I'll go looking for the Tsuchikage to give my report of our mission. Meanwhile, all of you, make yourself useful and see what can you do to help the village, Go!''

Kitsuchi's squad took a moment to snap themselves from their bewildered state but they still complied, and soon all of them scrambled to different parts of the village with the intent of following their commander's orders, and not just for professionalism, but also because they were genuinely worried about their people.

On his way to meet his father, Kitsuchi couldn't help himself from glancing around with worry at the ruined buildings in addition to the injured people being treated by the medic-nin. It was a horrible sight. he could see a some corpses laying around along with the rubble, a few dead pets here and there, paths that were inaccessible to the common person with the kind of damage sustained, and on top of that he had to see all of that while listening to the occasional cry of agony caused by injuries or by mourning loved ones. He truly hadn't seen a scene such as this since the last war.

After wandering around for several minutes, the experienced Jounin finally found a small building that was being used as the temporary office for the Tsuchikage. He started to make his way through the crowded place to the small man's desk. With recent events, it was to be expected that their leader would be even more buried in work than usual.

''Dad!'' Called Kitsuchi to the old man as he pushed civilians and Shinobi aside to open his path.

''Is that you, Kitsuchi? All of you, move out the way!'' At their leader's command, the crowd made space for the Tsuchikage's son.

Soon Kitsuchi was face to face with his father and he could see the bags under his eyes, evidently caused by lack of sleep. He guessed the old man hadn't had a moment to rest since the attack.

''I didn't know you were back already'' Said the Tsuchikage to the Jounin with weariness. He hoped that at least his son had good news, after how terrible things had gone lately he really needed to hear something positive for a change.

''I just got back. Dad, I need to speak with you. In private.'' Said Kitsuchi, emphasizing the last part with urgency.

Ohnoki got serious and gave a nod. He then proceeded to signal the ANBU keeping guard on either side of him to take everyone out.

The ANBU were quick to obey and hastily started getting the people out of there.

Kitsuchi and Ohnoki stayed staring at each other as people started emptying the room despite their protests. Finally after everyone and even the ANBU left the building, father and son were left alone.

''So? give me your report already, Kitsuchi.''Said the Tsuchikage impatiently.

''It was a complete disaster.'' Replied the Jounin with a downed look on his features, to which the old man scowled. '' Jiraiya was much stronger than we predicted. Most of our unit was taken out by him and the Jinchuuriki, and that was before the Akatsuki showed up.''

Ohnoki bared his teeth in rage when he heard that the Akatsuki were involved. ''Those bastards. They must have planned this from the beginning. I swear this will not stand. As soon as I get the chance I will have their heads on a pike.'' He didn't think that the situation was going to get this bad when he decided to hunt down the Kyuubi. And he dreaded to think what was coming next, because as horrible as things were going lately, they still had Konoha's retaliation to think about. With the way things were, they wouldn't be strong enough to fight a war right now; not when they just lost both their Jinchuuriki and a great amount of their ninja had been injured or killed. But he still had another concern...

''And what happened to the Yellow Flash's son? Did the Akatsuki get him?'' Asked the short man, sternly.

Kitsuchi lowered his head and had a sad look in his eyes. He gave a sigh before retelling the events of their failed task. ''Kurotsuchi managed to snag the Jinchuuriki in the chaos. But we lost her along with the boy. We don't know where she is. I left a search party looking for her and the Jinchuuriki before returning as fast as I could, but there is no word on them yet.'' Finished the man, solemnly.

Ohnoki widened his eyes in worry at hearing about the fate of his granddaughter. ''No way... we lost Kurotsuchi...'' Things just kept getting worse by the minute. Despite the fact that he and the girl clashed constantly, she was still his family and he cared about her. And she was their best Kunoichi currently. Even if he would never admit it out loud, he knew that she did have a decent shot at becoming a candidate for Tsuchikage. If they were to lose her it would be a low blow not only for them but for the village as well.

''I told you this was a bad idea from the start, but you didn't listen.'' Kitsuchi was starting to lose his cool. He had managed to somewhat keep calm until now, but bringing up his daughter, and along with the state the Iwa was in, was finally starting to wear him down. And all of that in just a few days.

''Just for trying to kill a single boy we lost our Jinchuuriki, the village is in ruins, our people are wounded, a lot of my comrades were taken out, and Kurotsuchi is out there alone, probably dead too!'' Said Kitsuchi while progressively raising his tone until he was almost shouting.

''Don't test me right now, Kitsuchi. I'm not in the mood to be tolerating your disrespect to your Tsuchikage.'' Said Ohnoki in warning and narrowing his eyes. ''Besides, we don't know where Kurotsuchi is right now. We can't say for sure she is dead.''

''Let's not kid ourselves here! you know very well that Shinobi missing in action rarely come back alive!'' Shouted Kitsuchi at his father in anger. ''Your obsession with getting revenge on Konoha might take us to war with them when we can least afford it! And it also may have cost your granddaughter her life! My daughter's life!''

''That's enough!'' Yelled Ohnoki as he smashed his hands on his desk to stand up and glare at his son. ''You forget that I'm still your leader, so show some restraint. If you can't do that, then I suggest you get out of here. Go and help in the village or something.''

Kitsuchi was about to give a rebuttal, but he managed to keep himself from escalating the argument, so he settled for just turning and started to walk towards the door. ''Fine. I can't bear to be close to you right now.'' Answered the man before opening the door and smashing it as he left.

Ohnoki sat down again on his chair and started massaging his temple, still fuming. He knew that Kitsuchi was right, he had screwed up. But what was done was done and there was nothing that he could do to undo the damage. So all that was left to do was to try to damage control the situation as much as he could. But still, his worries had just been made even bigger. They had failed to get the boy, so all this mess had been for nothing, and it had come with a great price for them. Now he had to worry about what Konoha would do once they got word of the attempt on their Jinchuuriki. But the thing that ate at his conscience the most was the wellbeing of Kurotsuchi. If something were to happen to her, he knew that Kitsuchi would never forgive him, heck, Even Ohnoki wouldn't forgive himself. And what made all of this worse was that he could do nothing for the girl right now. He could just cling to the small hope that she was alright and managed to find her way home.

\- Somewhere in the Land of Fire-

Jiraiya, along with Sakura, Kakashi, and team eight rapidly traveled jumping from tree to tree, with their destination being the Land of Lightning in hopes of finding Naruto. Team eight was a team specialized in tracking, and considering that they were Naruto's friends it was the logical conclusion to send them for the blond.

Sakura and Kakashi had come too, as they were the Jinchuuriki's teammates and deserved to participate in the search, not to mention that they were pretty skilled in their own right and could definitely make a difference, especially Kakashi. As if Naruto being lost wasn't bad enough, before leaving Konoha Jiraiya got a message from Kosuke informing him that he found the Iwa search party dead, most likely the handiwork of the Akatsuki, which had to mean that they were still lurking around those parts looking for Naruto. So now both team seven and eight were in a hurry to get to Naruto before the organization of S-rank criminals got to him first.

Sakura was a girl with shoulder-length bright pink hair, large green eyes, and a broad forehead. She was wearing a sleeveless red top, pink elbow protectors, black gloves, matching black calf-high boots and black shorts underneath a pink apron skirt. She used her red clothed forehead protector in a tiara-like style. ''I hope Naruto is okay. How long until we get to the Land of Lightning, Jiraiya-Sama?'' Asked the pinkette to the Sannin with worry in her green eyes, stressing over the safety of her loudmouthed teammate.

''A few more..(gasp)...hours until...(gasp)...we reach the border.'' Said the white haired man with ragged breath. He was completely exhausted and then some. He had fought an entire Iwa battalion, along with two members of Akatsuki, went back to Konoha in haste, then headed back to searching, all with little to no rest. It was truly a testament to Jiraiya's strength how he even managed to keep going.

''And even then we still have to go to the sea in the same location that Jiraiya-Sama and Naruto were at'' Said Kakashi. He was a tall man with spiky silver hair, he had a lone visible dark eye as his other eye was covered by his forehead protector. He was wearing the standard Konoha Shinobi uniform, which consisted of a green flak jacket over a dark blue shirt with long sleeves, fingerless gloves, and dark blue pants. And he used a facemask that covered the lower half of his face, starting at the nose. Despite the situation, he managed to keep himself collected, even if he truly was worried over Naruto, but precisely because he was worried is why he needed to keep himself focused. He couldn't afford to make mistakes when his student's life was at risk.

''Even more of a reason to hurry. The longer we take the most his scent will dissipate. If we take too long even me and Akamaru won't be able to track him down. The fact that we have to track him on water is even worse.'' Said Kiba, to which Akamaru replied with a bark of confirmation. Kiba was a member of team eight, and being a member of the Inuzuka clan he had a wild appearance. He had messy brown hair, black eyes with slitted pupils, and elongated canines. He also had the distinctive red fang markings on his cheek that was customary of the Inuzuka. He wore a black leather jacket and black pants, and the cloth of his forehead protector was also black.

Akamaru was Kiba's dog partner, and was big for a dog, so much that one could ride on him. He had squinted eyes and his fur was almost completely white, save for his ears which were a brown color.

''Luckily my insects can cover a wide area, even in water. But I do agree that we should hurry.'' Replied Shino. He was also a member of team eight and was from the Aburame clan. And as it was common of the Aburame, he was a mysterious individual. He had a black high collared shirt that covered the lower half of his face, and over the shirt, he wore a green jacket with a hood that covered his head, which only left his eyes as the only visible part of his body, and even then his eyes were also covered with round dark glasses. And he also had a satchel strapped to his back.

''We can't get discouraged. We absolutely have to help Naruto-Kun.'' Said Hinata with resolution, which was uncommon for the normally shy and meek girl, but when it came to Naruto she always gave it her all. She was the last member of team eight. She was a girl with dark blue hair, pale skin, and white pupil-less eyes that gave her away as a member of the Hyuga clan. She wore a cream and violet colored jacket, blue pants and used her forehead protector around her neck. She had been waiting anxiously to see Naruto again after these few years without him, so when she heard that her crush was in trouble she promised to herself that she wouldn't fail the boy that had inspired her so much. _''I promise I won't let you down, Naruto-Kun''_ thought the girl with determination.

Everyone save for Jiraiya stared at the Hyuga heiress in curiosity. She had refrained from speaking for most of the trip, even less than Shino which was a feat in itself, and to see the timid blue haired girl be so resolute was an anomaly. But they guessed it was to be expected, this involved Naruto after all. Hinata's affections for Naruto was probably the worst kept secret in Konoha, out of all their acquaintances the only one oblivious enough to not notice it was the blond knucklehead himself.

''Anyway, Hinata is right. We have to give it our all. If Naruto was in our place he would do the same.'' Said Kakashi to the young ninjas.

''Of course'' ''You don't have to tell me twice'' ''Roger'' responded Sakura, Kiba, and Shino at the same time just as resolute as Hinata had been.

So, trying to put their worries aside, all went to focus on their task to rescue their fellow Shinobi and friend, and continued on their way as fast as they could, for the Land of Lightning was waiting.

\- Land of Frost-

Naruto stared at the ice-covered land with not a lot of enthusiasm. He wasn't looking forward to traveling through there. Having lived all his life in the warm weather of Konoha he wasn't used to the harsh cold tundra. He glanced to his side and found a similar expression on Kurotsuchi, realizing that she had probably the same reservations than him.

''This is it, then.'' Said Darui to the two teenagers. ''This is where we part ways. We are finally out of the Land of Lightning and I recommend that you not come back for a while. Nothing personal but if you were to show up back so soon it would look suspicious for you.'' _''And hopefully, save me another headache''_ thought the dark skinned man.

''Wait a minute! You aren't planning on leaving us in this place without proper equipment for the cold , are you?!'' Replied Kurotsuchi incredulously. She had thought that they would at least put them in a boat to the Land of Hot Water or something, not just leaving them to freeze to death in this icebox.

''The crazy girl is right, What the hell, mister Darui!'' Said Naruto with the same concerns as the tomboy.

Said man just stared at them impassively, however. ''I'm sorry, but you are still technically our prisoners. I have already done more than I needed to when I decided to bring you both here.'' Despite saying that, he couldn't help but feel sorry for them when he saw their worried faces, so he quickly added something more. ''Come on, don't look so down. The Land of Frost is pretty small, you shouldn't take more than a day to cross it. So as long as a storm doesn't start you'll be fine. Besides, I have something for you that should help you.'' As he said it, he signaled one of the Chunin accompanying them and this stepped forward.

Both teenagers looked with curiosity to the Chunin when the man pulled out two scrolls and threw the contents to both of them as he unsealed them.

''My weapon's pouch?'' Asked Naruto in surprise. He had thought it had been lost.

''Yea, we found it sealed in a scroll inside the girl's own pouch. She must have taken it when she captured you.'' Explained Darui to the blond.

''My sword! I didn't expect to see it again!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi in joy at seeing her mother's blade again along with her weapons pouch. She was almost hugging the thing. She barely even glanced at her pouch now that she had her favorite weapon back.

''Wow, thanks again mister Darui!'' Said Naruto to the man with a grateful grin. ''By the way, how did you know this one was mine?''

''I found some change of clothes sealed in a scroll in there. You really like orange.'' Replied the Jounin with a deadpan look and Naruto scratched his head sheepishly.

With that out of the way, the Kumo Shinobi were ready to leave. ''Well, I can't say it has been fun, but I do hope to meet you guys again. You seem like nice kids. I just hope we do so in different circumstances.'' Said Darui to the teenagers with a side glance as he turned to return to the Land of Lightning along with the five Chunin.

''I hope so too. Thanks for everything mister Darui, I'll definitely never forget it, dattebayo!'' Said Naruto cheerfully in farewell to the man.

Kurotsuchi just stared expressionlessly at the Kumo ninja. Unlike Naruto she didn't feel any gratitude to the man, as she knew that he didn't do this for their sake, he just did what he felt was best for him and his nation. She couldn't blame him, she would have done the same, but that didn't mean she didn't resent almost dying at the hands of the Kumo Shinobi.

And with a lazy wave, Darui and the rest of the Kumo ninja disappeared in a Body Flicker technique, leaving Naruto and the pink eyed girl alone.

Naruto stared for a moment at the spot that the Kumo ninja had been, before turning to the girl. ''So, what do you propose we...'' He was interrupted when he was forced to jump to the side to avoid a slash from the girl's sword. ''What the fuck, you bitch?!''

''Now that they are gone I can finally get back to my mission again. Such a drag since I had already caught you, but that can't be helped.'' Said the girl as she readied her mother's blade again, ready to retry her attack.

''You are still going on about that?! I helped you back there in the island! I had to disclose that I'm a Jnchuuriki just so you could keep your stupid head!'' Shouted the blond to the girl, shaking a fist in anger. Even if Darui admitted that he wasn't really going to kill the girl, they hadn't known that at the time.

''hmm, it's not my fault that you are such a moron to help your enemy. So as far as I'm concerned I don't owe you shit.'' Said the Iwa girl coldly to the orange-clad Genin.

''And what's the big idea now then, eh? You wanna fight right here and now in this cold? even if you win, then what?! you are just gonna travel through the entire Land of Frost carrying me, all while you are wounded and low on Chakra after battling?! You are just gonna get us both killed!'' Yelled Naruto to the tomboy as he stepped back to put more distance between them in case the girl decided to not listen to reason.

Kurotsuchi frowned in thought. That was the most sense the moron had made since she met him. It was true that it would be deadly to try and travel the Land of Frost if she was wounded and not properly equipped for the cold, and carrying the heavy blond wouldn't do her any favors. She got a bit angry that for once the moron had had more hindsight than her. ''S-shut up! And what do you propose uh? a truce?''

''Uh, maybe?'' Answered Naruto dumbly and squinting his eyes.

''Ha, as if. Keep dreaming.'' Said the girl in a mocking manner. Like hell she would let the idiot get away.

''I don't know about you, but I just want to go home. I'm just proposing we just stop fighting and go our separate ways.'' Tried to reason Naruto. Right now he just cared more about finding his Sensei than keep this quarrel with the crazy chick.

''Not happening.'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly and with finality, not relenting at all.

''Fine! tell you what, I will fight you if you want, but not here. Let's first get out of this cold place and then I will kick your ass!'' Yelled Naruto in exasperation. If the stubborn girl wanted a fight so badly, then so be it. But he wasn't gonna fight here if he could help it.

Kurotsuchi thought long and hard about her answer before finally giving an answer. ''You better not back down when we do get out of here. I wouldn't put it past a Konoha ninja to chicken out of a battle.'' Said the girl with an edge in her voice, warning the blond to not try anything.

''I scared of you?! you wish! I just don't want to fight here, the harsh weather could end up killing us both.'' replied the blond hotly, offended to be considered a coward.

Kurotsuchi stared at the blond's blue eyes to try and see if she could see any sign that he was lying. When she found none she gave a sigh. ''Okay, I'll go along with this for the moment. But I'm warning you, as soon as we get out of this freezer I will tear you a new one. So don't think for a moment that this makes us buddies.''

''You don't have to remind me, I know.'' Said Naruto somewhat glad that the girl seemed to listen for once.

''Then what are we waiting for? let's get going already.'' Said the tomboy impatiently as she sheathed her sword. The sooner they got out of the Land of Frost the sooner they would settle their dispute once and for all, and getting away from the unbearable cold would be nice too.

And so the Iwa Kunoichi and the Konoha Jinchuuriki turned around and continued their trip, careful to keep their distance in case any of them tried to take the other out with a cheap shot. Even if their journey through this frosty wasteland wasn't supposed to be long, they knew that having to worry about the other attacking was gonna make it seem longer than a day.

 **Author's note: Finally an update! I'm so sorry for taking longer than usual for the update, I have no excuse, no good one at least. But I did have a small issue, and that was that I wasn't sure how I wanted to follow up the story, don't get me wrong, I have the ideas, is just that I didn't know which one to use, but I have finally decided what I really want to do, if I just stay thinking about it I will never do it, so I decided to just go for it and make the best with what I have planned. So now that I have settled my doubts, at least for the moment, you can expect the next update to come soon, I wish to have the next chapter up in a couple of days. To be honest, I'm kind of ashamed that I took so long to update and the chapter isn't even long, but I really didn't have anything more to add in this one. I hope the next one is better, so until next time! (which I hope is soon).**


	8. Chapter 8: A Common Goal

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 8: A Common Goal

-Land of Frost-

Naruto and Kurotsuchi were still trying to find their way out of the snowy nation, and currently, they were bracing themselves and shivering in the cold as a raging blizzard descended on them.

Kurotsuchi cursed their rotten luck. Of course, the exact thing that they didn't want to happen just had to happen. '' _Oh d-d-don't w-worry, a-as l-long as a s-st-storm doesn't st-start you w-will be fi-fi-fine._ F-f-fucking a-asshole.'' Complained the girl with chattering teeth as she repeated what Darui told them earlier.

Naruto turned his head slowly to the girl, shivering just as bad as she was. '' It's n-not l-like m-mi-mister Darui k-knew t-this w-was gonna h-ha-happen.'' Said the boy in an effort to calm the girl down.

The tomboy rolled her eyes uncaringly at the blond's comment. ''I-Instead of k-kissing y-your bo-boyfriend's a-ass, h-help me lo-look f-for sh-shelter.'' Responded the prodigy, squinting her eyes while glancing around to the distance in an effort to catch sight of anything that could be used to protect themselves from the blizzard.

Naruto did just that, even if he didn't appreciate to be insulted, the cold didn't leave any energy to be looking for a fight right now. After glancing around for a few minutes, he perked up when he finally saw something in the nearest mountain that could be of use. ''Look! There is a cave there!'' He shouted while pointing at said cave. His joy was such that he didn't even stutter from the cold.

The pink eyed girl looked to where the blond was pointing at, and she could, in fact, see a cave. ''W-well d-done, moron. It se-seems that e-even you h-have your u-uses.'' Said the girl with snide.

Naruto frowned at the girl's usual contemptuous attitude but refrained from commenting. He just wanted to get there as fast as he could and see if it was fit to stay there until the storm passed them by.

A few minutes later they arrived at the cave. And after checking that there were no bears or any other predator living there, they found comfortable spots in the walls opposite from one another and sat down to inspect their supplies. Luckily for them, there were plenty of twigs inside the cave, so they just needed to find a way to light them and make a bonfire.

''Tch, I can't find my tinderbox.'' complained the girl out loud. At least inside the cave the cold was a bit more bearable and her teeth weren't chattering anymore. ''Hey idiot, use a fire Jutsu or something, will ya? be useful for once.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she glanced to the blond, who was going through his supplies too.

''Uhh, I kinda don't know any.'' replied the Jinchuuriki with a hand behind his head, a bit ashamed to admit that he didn't know a fire Jutsu.

Kurotsuchi looked dumbfounded at that. ''What do you mean you don't know a fire Jutsu? You are from Konoha aren't you? you know, The Land of fucking Fire? What kind of Konoha Shinobi doesn't know a fire Jutsu!?''

''S-shut up!'' Shouted a flustered Naruto. ''I have never needed it! I'm awesome enough already as I am. And why do I have to do it? If you are such a great Kunoichi then why don't you do it?'' Pointed out the blond.

She frowned at the boy's accusations, she wasn't about to tolerate the idiot judging her skills.''I know plenty of Jutsu, unlike you. But mostly just my earth based Jutsu and the ones from my Kekkei Genkai. I just don't know a fire based one yet, but at least I haven't been sitting on my butt relying only on a clone technique and a demon's Chakra.'' She didn't mention that her Kekkei Genkai, the Yoton(Lava Release), was a combination of Fire and Earth affinities, so she did, in fact, have a fire affinity, but she wasn't going to admit out loud that she didn't know a fire Jutsu even despite the fact that she did have an affinity for it.

''I know other techniques too! I can use Rasengan and summon toads. I doubt you have anything as cool as that.'' Claimed Naruto competitively.

She shrugged uncaringly, not impressed. ''Whatever you say. Like that will help us right now, we still have to find a way to start a fire.'' Said the prodigy as she continued to look inside her pouch.

''Got it!'' Naruto's cry of victory caught Kurotsuchi's attention and she lifted her head to see the blond holding a box of matches that he must have had in his own pouch.

''Then what are you waiting for? Start a bonfire already!'' Demanded the girl with urgency.

''You don't have to be so bitchy all the time, you know?'' Replied the Jinchuuriki and started to gather some of the twigs scattered in the cave.

After a few minutes, they had a decently sized bonfire that illuminated the cave and acted as a great source of heat. It still wasn't enough to completely keep them warm, but it made the cold much more bearable than before.

''Much better'' Said the girl with a content sigh. She was still trembling but the cold wasn't so bad now, but it was still pretty chilly, though. She heard the clatter of steel against a rock and turned in curiosity to see what the moron was up to. And she saw the boy unsealing a pot and a kettle from a scroll. ''What are you doing now?'' asked the girl with a raised eyebrow.

''Preparing myself something to eat, of course.'' Responded the Genin as he unsealed some cups of instant ramen from another scroll.

''I should have guessed as much.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a blank look.

It wasn't long until Naruto had few steaming cups of ramen ready to be eaten. It wasn't much but it was something, and with the weather the way it was, a hot meal was very desirable.

Naruto was happily enjoying his noodles when he took notice that Kurotsuchi was still trembling terribly. Now that her previous adrenaline of desperately looking for shelter had faded off, the cold was starting to affect her more. It was to be expected honestly. Out of the two of them, she was the one with the least unsuited attire for traveling in the snow. She had discarded her flak jacket when it got ruined in the fight with Kisame, she was wearing a skirt, and her shirt was missing one of the sleeves. All in all, she was very ill fitted to be withstanding the harsh cold, at least Naruto's jacket was pretty warm.

Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for the girl, even if she was a pain in the ass that hated his guts. He realized that having such a bleeding heart, even for his enemies, could be very bad for him and could potentially be dangerous, but he couldn't help it. When he saw someone in need that he could help, he simply didn't feel comfortable if he didn't at least try to do something. So with resolve, he grabbed one of the still hot cups of soup and extended his arm in an offering. ''Here. Have some.'' The cave was small enough that just extending his arm as he leaned was enough to close the distance with the girl halfway.

Kurotsuchi was taken aback when the boy addressed her, offering food. She was so tempted to just throw the steaming liquid in the blond's face, but to tell the truth she was really hungry. And despite her earlier criticisms of ramen, she didn't dislike it, and a warm serving of soup looked very appealing at the moment. She gave a suspicious look before addressing the Jinchuuriki once more. ''How do I know you didn't poison it or something?''

Naruto looked offended that she even suggested that he would use such a cheap tactic like poison. ''What!? of course it's not poisoned! You saw that I was about to eat it a moment ago, why would I poison it!?'' He continued to look with indignation at the girl, expecting to hear her answer.

After staring at the blond for any sign of untruthfulness she closed her eyes and gave a resigned sigh. ''I guess I'm giving you way too much credit. You can't possibly be clever enough to think about it.''

Naruto's eye was twitching trying to barely keep his cool. He was trying to help her and she was still finding ways to mock him. ''You are gonna take it or not?'' He was seriously starting to regret offering her any food. Such a good ramen wasted on an ungrateful banshee. She better take it soon before he changed his mind.

She pretended to think it over, all the while with a cocky smile plastered on her face. ''Hmmm, tell you what. I'm going to humor you this once, so I guess I will accept it.'' She finally reached for the cup and took it in her gloved hand. ''Don't expect thanks for this, though. I still hate you.'' She then proceeded to bring the cup to her lips and took a small sip, being careful to not burn herself.

''You are welcome.'' Said Naruto with sarcasm and with a face that left clear that he wasn't amused by the girl's thankless behavior. However, he just brushed it off and went back to eating his own. ''This is not as good as Ichiraku's ramen, but it will have to do''

''Yea, it can't replace a good serving of barbecue, but beggars can't be choosers I guess.'' Replied the girl and took another sip of her cup shortly afterward.

''I remember you mentioning something like that before. Is Iwa's barbecue really that good?'' Asked Naruto, truly curious to know.

''Ohh you haven't lived until you taste it. But why do you ask, dumbass?'' Said Kurotsuchi raising her eyebrow once again.

''Is just that, even though I have gone to a lot of different small villages, I have never traveled to any of the big ones, you know? like Suna or Kumo or Kiri, none of those; including Iwa. So I'm curious to know more about them. To see how different they are from my home.'' Said Naruto, placing the ramen cup beside him to put both hands behind his head.

''You think I'm stupid? I'm not about to be disclosing information of my village to an enemy.'' Said the pink eyed girl with an accusatory stare.

''Are you always like this? I just want to talk, that's all. Nothing much we can do right now besides trying to not freeze to death.'' Said the blond with exasperation. This girl was truly grating on his nerves.

Kurotsuchi tilted her head in thought. She guessed talking wasn't that bad if only to distract herself from the terrible cold. But was it alright to be having a conversation with the idiot? and about her village no less. But...she supposed that just a tiny bit of (non-compromising) information couldn't hurt, right?

She gave a huff of resignation. ''OK, if you are just dying to know I guess I can tell you a little bit.''

Naruto perked up at finally having the closest to a civilized conversation with the girl since he met her.

Seeing that she got the blond's attention, Kurotsuchi continued. ''We have all our buildings on top of small mountains, and we have to use bridges to go from place to place. And not only that, but the village itself is surrounded by mountains much taller that the ones we use to live in. One thing I love is seeing the setting sun when it can just barely be seen above the hills.'' Explained the girl with a longing face.

Naruto had his face in wonder, he guessed it had to be a sight to behold. ''Sounds amazing. Do you have anything like our Hokage mountain? In Konoha we have all the faces of our Hokage carved into a mountain, for Iwa it should be easy to do with how many mountains you have.''

The girl widened her eyes at the information. The Kage's faces carved in a mountain? that sounded so cool! But she would rather eat her own foot before giving Konoha credit for anything. ''Bah! who needs a Kage monument? that's way too pretentious if you ask me.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a wave of her hand in an effort to play if down. ''You know what's awesome? Waterfalls. We have tons of waterfalls and they look amazing. there are times in the day when they shine like diamonds when the daylight is just right.''

''Iwa sounds like a cool place. I wish I could see it someday.'' Said Naruto with a thoughtful look.

''Well, you could always let me capture you and you'll be able to see it.'' Responded the tomboy with a mischievous smile.

Naruto went alarmed at that. ''Like hell! I didn't mean it like that! I meant like visit the place or something!'' Explained the boy, exalted.

''You can try if you want. But my people would kill you the instant they landed their eyes on you.''Said the girl in all seriousness.

Naruto put on a sad expression and dropped his head at the reminder of their villages enmity. ''It's such a shame really. I wish there was a way for our villages to be friends.'' He heard Kurotsuchi snort at his comment, but he continued nonetheless. ''We don't have to keep fighting each other. Come on, you can't honestly say that you prefer to be in an never ending conflict, can you?'' He asked the girl with the most serious face he had used until now.

She stared back at him just as intensely, and after a minute, she responded.''I don't care about peace, I just want you assholes to get what's coming to you for all you have done to us.'' She saw the blond's face morph into one of incredulity.

''You can't possibly mean it! Who in their right mind wouldn't want peace over conflict!?'' Shouted Naruto in a rhetoric manner.

Kurotsuchi groaned in irritation. ''Please don't you start with your peace bullshit again. If you want to believe in fairy tales, go ahead, but shut up about it. I'm tired of hearing you say stupid shit. I, for one, don't give a damn.''

Naruto frowned, getting frustrated once again with the girl. ''Well, I rather believe in 'Fairy tales' than being a bitter person like you. Honestly, since I met you I think I haven't heard you say anything positive at all.'' Declared the Jinchuuriki.

She turned angrily at the blond and met his blue eyes with her angry pink ones. ''What's there to be positive about? I'm stuck with the biggest moron on the planet as I'm slowly turning into a Popsicle. Not to mention I was captured by Kumo ninja and I'm alive just by mere chance. Yeah, I have so many reasons to be a ray of sunshine.''Said Kurotsuchi sarcastically.

Naruto felt like pulling at his hair. _'This girl is so freaking difficult!'_ Thought the Genin with a grimace. ''Sometimes I can't stand you! Why do all our conversations end up like this?! You are probably the hardest person to have a simple conversation with that I have met!''

''If talking to me is so bad, then stop doing it! Do us both a favor and stop bothering me!'' Shouted back the girl with ire.

''Maybe I'll do that!'' replied Naruto equally as angry.

''Fine by me!''

''Fine!''

And with that, both teenagers ended their discussion and turned away from the other. Now with the mood much more tense, they started trying to ignore each other as much as they could. So with their tempers still blazing they sat in silence for the rest of the day waiting for the storm to pass.

They ended up waiting all night, as the storm just died out in the next morning. That would usually mean that they had time to have a good night's rest, but given the fact that they had to worry about the other slitting each other's throats in their sleep, it made it impossible to relax, much less sleep.

They were now once again on their way through the snowy terrain. Even without the blizzard the weather was still terribly cold, but at least it was much less dangerous now.

After their dispute the day before they refrained from speaking between them, barely acknowledging the other.

Naruto wasn't particularly cheery at the moment. He couldn't understand his traveling companion for the life of him. She was just so unbearably bitter and bitchy, and despite his best efforts to keep things as amicably as he could, she always ended up blowing up at him. The fact that at the moment he was forced to stick around her was tiresome.

''Hey dumbass, look, a village!'' Shouted Kurotsuchi in excitement with a finger pointing to the distance.

Her sudden outburst snapped Naruto out of his inner rambling and focused his attention to where she was pointing at, and the girl was right, he could see a small village in the distance. At least that served to lift his spirits.

''We may be able to find some proper clothing for the cold in there, along with some food while we are at it.'' Declared the girl with a grin.

''What are we waiting for?! Let's go, dattebayo!'' Said Naruto, joining the girl in her excitement.

After a few minutes of full speed sprinting it didn't take long for the two Shinobi to reach the small village.

The village wasn't big by any stretch. There were maybe around thirty wooden buildings total, which was pretty small in comparison to what the teenagers were used to. However, not even a couple minutes in, the two young ninjas noticed something wasn't right. As they walked the street they saw that it was pretty desolated for the time of the day, even for a small village. And the few people that they did see on the street had faces that reflected hopelessness if their dead eyes were any indication to go by.

The teenagers kept walking slowly and glancing around. The villagers barely looked back at them, seemingly not even caring about the strangers in their home.

Kurotsuchi looked at Naruto with a side glance. ''Hey, idiot. Did you notice?'' asked the girl to the blond.

''Yea. These people are acting pretty weird. There are not many of them and they have this strange look on their face.'' Answered Naruto, not stopping inspecting the village even as he talked.

''I'm starting to think these people may need more help than we do.'' Concluded the pink eyed girl.

Naruto nodded at that, in agreement with the girl. _'Is something going on here?'_

It wasn't long until they spotted a small shop. It was the kind of shop that usually sold cheap quality products at low price, which suited them just fine since they only needed a couple cloaks that they would probably discard as soon as they got out of the Land of Frost.

''Good day.'' called a middle aged man to them in greeting as they came into the store. He was plain looking, he was of medium height, had a short goatee, and black messy hair. But he still had a sad look just like most people in the village.

''Hi'' answered both Naruto and Kurotsuchi at the same time.

''What can I do for you?'' Asked the man cordially.

This time, Kurotsuchi stepped towards the man. ''We are looking for some traveling cloaks for the winter. We aren't from around here and we need to pass through the Land of Frost.'' Told the tomboy to the man.

The man nodded and pointed to the side of the store. ''Of course, young lady. I have some winter cloaks over there; it's not much but I think they do the job well enough.'' Said the man gently.

The pair of ninja walked to where the cloaks were and they found them to be just what they were looking for, they were large white fur cloaks. As expected, they weren't of the finest work, but they would do.

They promptly paid for their new pieces of clothing and rapidly put them on to try them. They were rather comfy and warm, which was just perfect.

''Ahhh, these feel nice.'' Purred Naruto in delight, glad to finally have something decent to cover the cold with.

''Yea, the cloaks are good, despite being cheap.'' Agreed Kurotsuchi.

The man had a small grin on his face at the praise for his merchandise. ''Glad you youngster like them. To tell the truth sales have dropped drastically lately. People right now don't feel like going out of their homes.'' Said the man with a sad look that soon replaced his previous grin.

That got both teenagers curiosity, and Naruto couldn't help but ask. ''Speaking of which, old man; is something going on around here? People are acting strangely.''

Kurotsuchi normally disliked the blond's nosy attitude, but this time she was glad that he asked. She too was curious to know what the deal with the village was.

The man's expression got even sadder, but he started speaking anyway. ''You see, we have a crisis in town, actually. People have started going missing for a while now.'' Explained the man somberly.

''Going missing, you say? How does it happen?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with her head tilted to the side, puzzled.

The man closed his eyes in remembrance. ''We are not sure. Since about a month ago. People go to the mountains to either hunt or gather supplies and sometimes they never return.'' Explained the man. ''We have accidents from time to time so is not as uncommon for people go missing. But most of the time they return after a while if they get lost or the occasional storm traps them. After all, in the wilderness, a lot of things can happen. But this is different; the number of missing people is too high. Most people here have lost someone already. Now almost everyone stays in their homes, either from fear of going missing too or to mourn their lost loved ones.''

By the end of the explanation, Naruto, and even Kurotsuchi had looks of pity. They had guessed something was up in the village, but not quite like this. Whatever was happening had to be something big.

''Daddy, who are they?'' A small voice interrupted them before they could ask anything else. All of the room occupants turned their heads to look at the source of the voice.

They saw a small girl, probably no older than seven years or so. She had dark hair that she kept in two pigtails and was wearing a small winter jacket and pants. She seemed wary and looked sad.

''They are just a pair of customers, sweety.'' Said the man to the girl with a warm smile.

The girl approached them as Naruto and Kurotsuchi watched in curiosity. After getting close enough that she had to look up to meet their eyes, she said ''You are ninja, right?'' Asked the child innocently to the teenagers as she looked to their forehead protectors.

''Oh, hmm, yea we are.'' Replied Kurotsuchi, not sure how to address the small girl.

In an instant, she had a hopeful look and her face brightened. ''Really? Then, can you help my mommy? She hasn't come home since forever. I just want her to be with me. Please?'' Pleaded the girl to the Shinobi.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi both looked stunned. They never expected the girl to make such a request and were at a loss for words. They didn't know if they could help, but they surely didn't want to break the heart of a little girl.

''Please Yuna, can you go play in another room? We are busy here. When we are finished you can come talk to them, alright?'' Said the man to the child.

The little girl pouted but still obeyed ''Ok daddy.'' Said the girl before leaving through a door behind the man as Naruto and Kurotsuchi looked on silently.

Said man just gave a sigh before turning to the Iwa ad Konoha Shinobi. ''That was my daughter Yuna. She is usually very reserved and doesn't talk to strangers, but she has been getting restless lately.'' He brought his palm to his forehead before continuing. ''I didn't mention this before, but my wife is also one of the missing people.''

Naruto widened his eyes at hearing that, while Kurotsuchi just narrowed her eyes, already having guessed as much by the way the man and the girl were acting.

''What? How did it happen?'' Asked a worried Naruto, it was just like him to worry for the wellbeing of others.

The man once again gave a sigh, much more melancholic this time. ''It was soon after the first disappearances happened. At the time, we didn't think it had been more than a terrible tragedy, an accident or something, and we ignored that this was going to become a trend.''

Naruto and Kurotsuchi listened intently to the man's story, curious to know more.

''Anyway, one night my wife and I went to the woods to gather some firewood. We knew that at this time of the year storms are very common, and they can last for days, so we needed to stockpile as many resources as we could. But when we split up to gather on our own, she never came back. I waited for her for hours that day, until I finally decided that something terrible had to have happened. For days, I would go back into the woods to keep looking, but I found nothing. I haven't seen my wife since.'' Finished the man at the verge of tearing up.

Naruto clenched his hands, feeling the need to do something. He couldn't forgive himself if he could do something, anything, to help these people and not even try.

''Is really not my business, but, if this problem has been so persistent, then why don't you guys ask for the help of Shimogakure? I mean, they are the hidden village of the region.'' Suggested Kurotsuchi.

The man just shook his head solemnly. ''They only accept the jobs that pay the most out of the bunch. They aren't a big hidden village, so they can't afford to waste manpower but on the most well paying jobs they can find. We are a small village, we couldn't possibly gather enough money to warrant their help, even less so now that we are short on people, and we become less and less as the weeks go by.''

''But how can they just do nothing?'' Said Naruto in anger. He could understand that Shimo would not have enough Shinobi to accept all mission requests, but these people were suffering, and they might be dying from who knew what. He knew that if he was Hokage he would never allow the people of his region to suffer if he had any say in it.

''I'm sorry, I'm going to go out soon and I have to close the store. I think I have taken enough of your time. Thanks for stopping by and I wish you good luck on your travels.'' Said the man as he started preparing to close shop. It was a peculiar hour to be closing, since it was early still, so they assumed that he was probably going to go out to keep searching for his wife.

The teenagers excused themselves and thanked the man for the items before they left. However, as they exited they saw the little girl from earlier waiting for them just around the corner of the shop. They guessed that she must have sneaked out of the store from a back door or something.

Naruto waved at the girl and walked towards her. ''Hi there. Yuna-Chan, right? What are you doing here all by yourself?'' Asked the blond to the child.

Kurotsuchi also approached the girl in curiosity, and she was taken aback when the girl took out a small piggy bank from her cloak and held it before them in an offering. ''Please, mister and miss Shinobi. Please, bring back my mommy! This is all the money I have, so please, bring her back to me!'' Pleaded the girl with tears streaming down her face and shaking with her sobs.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at the unexpected request from the girl. The girl's affection for her mother was obviously strong, and she could see herself in the child. She had lost her mother too when she was too young to even walk. Now another small child was begging her to save her from a similar fate. The situation tore at even Kurotsuchi's heart.

''Yuna-Chan...'' mumbled Naruto, unsure of how to respond to the girl's actions. Kurotsuchi got the blond's attention when she started walking towards the girl. ''Uhh? Kurotsuchi?'' Asked the confused blond.

The tomboy stopped just before the girl and got on one knee to meet the child's gaze with her own.

The little girl stared back at Kurotsuchi, confused and with a puffy face but still showing determination.

Kurotsuchi put a hand on the piggy bank and gently pushed it to the child's chest, which made the little girl stare at it not knowing what was the older girl doing.

''Keep it, it's yours.'' Said Kurotsuchi in a low voice, almost a whisper in an effort to be gentle. ''You should go back to your dad. If he finds out you aren't there he is gonna get worried. You don't want that, do you?''

''B-but my mom...'' Replied the child and one could tell she was about to cry.

''She wouldn't want you making your dad worry about you and giving your hard earned money to strangers. So just go back inside. Wait there for your mom.'' Said Kurotsuchi to the girl. She really wasn't good with kids and this was one time she wished that she had inherited her mother's nurturing nature.

The small girl looked terribly disappointed and hearth-broken at having her request dismissed. And while still shaking with repressed sobs she went back to her family's store

With a heavy soul, Naruto watched the little girl walk back inside the building and he clenched his fists with impotence. He could just not let the suffering of this people continue.

He and his traveling companion stayed at the side of the building for a few minutes, going over these recent events in their heads.

After awhile Naruto made up his mind and decided that he was going to help these people, with or without Kurotsuchi. So if she was going to berate him for chickening out of their fight, then so be it.

He opened his mouth to tell the girl what was on his mind but was interrupted before he could.

''I'm gonna help them.'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly, which left Naruto agape. He wasn't sure if he heard right. The tomboy hadn't shown him anything even remotely resembling compassion since he met her, so he wasn't even sure if she was even capable of displaying it.

''Uhh?'' Replied Naruto dumbly at a loss for words.

''I said I'm gonna help them.'' repeated Kurotsuchi, now fully facing the blond. ''You can come if you want. Or stay here, or go to the Land of Fire, or whatever the fuck you want. But I'm gonna help these people.''

Naruto quickly snapped out of his surprise to respond to the girl. ''Wait a minute! I'm gonna help too! I can't just leave these people to suffer!''

Kurotsuchi took a deep breath, and after much hesitation, she extended a hand to the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto stared at her hand, not fully realizing what she was proposing.

''Let's work together just this once. But keep in mind, this alliance is only while we deal with whatever this is. I still hate your dumb ass.'' Kurotsuchi reminded him. She was making a great sacrifice by swallowing her pride to set aside her differences with the Konoha bastard if it meant saving an entire village, especially a little girl that was in a pain that she could relate so well to.

Naruto grinned despite the fact that the pink eyed girl still despised him, but he was glad that at least they finally saw eye to eye on something. ''Then we have a deal.'' Said Naruto before shaking her hand firmly.

And so, for the first time, even if only temporarily, they weren't enemies; they were partners.

 **Author's note:**

 **Phew! I'm finally done with this chapter. I'm so sorry that I took longer to update than what I said I would. However, to be fair I didn't take as long this time as the past chapter, but still took longer than just 'a couple of days' so I'm sorry about that. But I'll be honest, this took me a while because I completely forgot about the release of fatal frame 5, and playing that game really put me back in my update. Really underrated game BTW. *Sigh* the struggles of being a gamer I guess. Anyway, that is all for now, I'll see you guys in the next update! and as always Review if you get the chance, please!**


	9. Chapter 9: Into The Lair

**Special thanks to my beta: Dylan Millwood. Not only is he my beta but he also helped write a portion of this chapter and I'm extremely grateful to him. Please check out his stories if you have the chance.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 9: Into The Lair

-Somewhere in the Land of Frost-

Naruto was currently waiting on the edge of a snow-covered forest, bracing himself against the cold that even his new cloak could not completely protect him from. He had sent about a dozen Shadow Clones earlier to search for anything that may give him a clue of the recent disappearances. Also, he had yet to hear anything from Kurotsuchi's side of the investigation. They had come to the agreement that she would ask around the town for any information about this phenomenon, while he looked around the proximity of the village, as he could cover more ground with his clones.

He was starting to wonder for how long was he supposed to be there enduring the harsh climate, waiting for either one of his clones or the Iwa Kunoichi, then a sudden noise caught his attention, and speaking of the devil, said Iwa kunoichi was just arriving with a look of disappointment on her face.

 _''That's not a good sign.''_ thought the blond.

He watched her approach for one moment before saying anything, and even though the answer was obvious he still needed to ask. "So, how did it go?"

The pink-eyed girl gave a sigh before addressing the Jinchuuriki. "Well, I hope you have something of use, Dummy, because my inquiries were a waste of time."

"That bad, eh?" Naruto asked solemnly.

The girl nodded and once again gave a sigh. "Everyone keeps saying the same thing: They all were snatched when they ventured the surrounding forest and they always vanished without anyone seeing anything. So we have no witnesses or clues other than the fact that we know the problem has to come from this forest."

Now Naruto too shared her downed mood. He put both his hands on his waist as he pondered on the situation. "That's not very much to go on at all. Then I guess the only thing left to do is to wait until one of my clones comes back with some info."

She frowned in thought before agreeing with him. "Fine, I think that we should wait for a bit and try to think of some new strategy while we're at it." She then put up her hands in a single hand-seal and two rocks rose from the ground to act as makeshift chairs.

"Well, that's handy.'' said the blond as he sat down on the rock.

"Of course it's handy, everything I do is handy. You should know that by now." Kurotsuchi responded with a proud and cocky grin as she also took a seat.

"Right," said Naruto with a deadpan look, not even bothering to argue with her.

They continued to wait in silence for a while, and Naruto noticed the girl deep in thought, and looked a bit sad as well. "You alright?" asked the blond with a bit of reservation, not sure if he should be making it his business to ask.

The girl didn't react at all, and for a second the blond wondered if she heard him, but before he could ask again she answered. "We have to help them. We can't fail." the girl said with determination, but also somberly.

He could understand her. He was worried about the people living in the village too, but it was clear that the girl was especially concerned. It was still weird for the Jinchuuriki to see a more caring side of the young prodigy, as she was usually cold and full of herself, so he was still getting used to it.

"You were thinking about Yuna-Chan, right?" Asked the blond with sympathy and a serious face.

The girl gave an annoyed growl and was quick to respond. "So what if I am? You have a problem with that?" The girl snapped defensively. She rarely showed a softer side, so she was ready to give the blond a beating if he dared making fun of her for doing it.

"What? No not at all!" Naruto got worried to had inadvertently pissed her off, and he started waving his hands in appeasement. "I'm worried about her too, you know. And I agree with you. we cant let whatever this is get away with it.''

"Humph, you better." Said the girl, eyeing him with skepticism.

After an hour of waiting for any sign of the clones, they were starting to lose their patience, but in an instant Naruto abruptly bolted in surprise from his seat.

His sudden movement startled the Kunoichi and hastily got into a combat stance. After quickly scanning her surroundings she couldn't see any threat in the immediate area. The blond's apparently random action just served to get her annoyed. "What are you doing, moron?! You scared me!"

However, Naruto just kept looking around in surprise. "One of my clones just got destroyed by something." Said the Jinchuuriki.

The pink-eyed girl looked puzzled at that. "How can you even tell?"

That actually seemed to make the blond stop and think about it. He shrugged, now just as confused as the girl. "I-I don't know. I was just sitting and suddenly I just knew what my clone was doing after he got dispelled."

Kurotsuchi stared silently at the blond, thinking about this new piece of information. ''Wait, so you know everything your clones did when they were dispelled? And you're just learning about this?!'' Asked the girl in disbelief.

Naruto put a hand behind his head sheepishly. Even if he was still surprised about this new discovery he was still ashamed that he hadn't noticed until now.

Kurotsuchi couldn't for the life of her know how someone so dumb had lasted so long as a ninja. She could understand someone not knowing how the clones worked if they only used them sparingly, as most people did because not everyone could afford to waste so much chakra on Shadow Clones, but the guy used them for practically everything, and he did a ton of them! One would think that he would have known all the ins and outs of the technique by now.

Naruto stammered for a bit trying to say a convincing excuse for his oversight of the Jutsu but was quickly brushed off by the Kunoichi.

"You know what? just forget it. I should really be used to your stupidity by now. Instead, just lead the way to where your clone was destroyed. Can you do that?" Said Kurotsuchi eagerly.

Naruto was a bit offended by the girl's usual downplay of his intelligence, but just nodded instead of continuing the pointless argument. "I guess I can. This way." Then he turned around and started sprinting and jumping from tree to tree with the girl hot on his heels.

After a few minutes of non-stop jumping from snowy tree to snowy tree, Naruto noticed that they were close. "It was about here I think. At last, it shouldn't be long befo-ufff." He couldn't finish his sentence as Kurotsuchi rushed just barely past him and held him in place with an arm blocking his path, but his sudden run in with her appendage made him lose his breath. "What the hell?! What are you doing all of a sudden?!" complained the blond to the Iwa Kunoichi.

She just gave him a berating look as she kept her position and continued to stop him from going further. "You should be more careful and not rush in, you dumbass. There could be traps around here. Your clone didn't pop himself did he? So that means that whatever it was must be around here. So it could have been a hostile or the place is all booby trapped."

"Oh, right. Thanks, Kurotsuchi. I didn't think about that."Said Naruto with wide eyes at the realization and started looking around warily, suspecting anything in the environment that looked even slightly out place.

"Don't mention it, idiot." Answered Kurotsuchi. "We just have to be careful and look around to see if we can find any traps." said the girl while glancing everywhere and joining the blond in his search for said traps.

''On it! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow clone technique)'' Naruto was quick to get to work and rapidly summoned a dozen clones before scattering them around the area. And sure enough, not long after that, they could see some of the copies get dispelled as they triggered several traps. Some fell into deadly pits, others tripped over some wire that caused them to get skewered by a rain of Kunai, and others were squashed under some tree trunks that came crashing down on them when they stepped on some sort of mechanism.

Naruto, Kurotsuchi, and the few remaining clones looked on attentively at their confirmed suspicions.

''Wow, you were right about the traps, Kurotsuchi. Thanks again for the heads up.'' Said Naruto with gratitude to the Iwa Shinobi.

She rolled her eyes while waving him off. ''I told you to not mention it. Besides, this is no time to be fooling around. The fact that there are booby traps around here is a good sign for us. It means that there is something around here that someone wants to keep hidden.''

Naruto nodded in understanding, having already figured as much. Quickly the blond Jinchuuriki once again made a dozen clones and sent them to look for, or trigger more traps, and to see if they could find anything that could be hidden around the area.

After a long while of clones being constantly destroyed by traps left and right, one of the clones memories tipped Naruto to something that was worthy of note.

''One of my clones found something that we should check out. This way.'' He then proceeded to lead the way and Kurotsuchi followed close behind. They didn't take long to find what had caught Naruto's attention in the first place.

In front of them, they could see a stone stairway that went to what appeared to be an underground facility. The entrance looked like a small shrine that was below ground level. The stone was a plain gray color and the dark entrance was just barely illuminated by a couple of candles. All-in-all the place gave off an eerie vibe that made the teenagers get goosebumps.

"Is it just me, or this place looks extremely spooky?" Asked Naruto with a side glance at the girl.

"It's not just you. Something about the place gives me the creeps." Said the girl with unease. "Nevertheless, we have to check it out. It being creepy is just more of a reason to be suspicious about it. We have to see if this is what we are looking for." Then she started walking down the steps, carefully making sure to not step into any traps that may possibly still around.

As reluctant as Naruto was to enter the place, he knew that he could not go without first seeing if the missing people were there, so he also went down the steps.

Inside the building things weren't much better. The place was underground so that meant that even if it was daytime, the corridors were very dark and were just barely illuminated in thin light by rows of candles that were hanged on the walls. The place was devoid of any furniture or ornaments, the only things that one could see in the maze-like hallways were countless doors that one couldn't even tell what the difference between them was.

''How can anyone find their way in this place? There are only doors and I can barely see in this light.'' Said Kurotsuchi in a whisper.

''Could be another form of defense, so you know, only people familiar enough with the place don't get lost.'' Suggested the blond, also in a whisper.

''Yeah, could be. Wouldn't surprise me really. Whoever built this place already had the surrounding area littered with traps, so a tactic to confuse enemies would be right up their alley.'' Agreed the Kunoichi.

Then they suddenly came to a stop when they heard footsteps down the hall. They couldn't see the person since the candle light didn't reach far enough. But still they went to hide themselves around a corner and waited for the stranger to pass them by. They didn't have to wait long when a man emerged from the shadows walking slowly. His head was covered by a hoodie and only his eyes could be seen. He was Probably someone either patrolling or on his way to do some task or another. It didn't matter, as soon as he got close enough, Kurotsuchi dashed towards the person and despite alerting her target she was too quick for the stranger to do anything before she had him in a choke hold.

Naruto was momentarily startled by the girl's sudden move, but he was still quick to act and unsheathed a Kunai and got himself in front of the man, ready to attack if he was hostile. Even if he didn't feel good in attacking someone that they didn't even know if it was an enemy they just couldn't take the chance to lower their guard.

''Ugh...let...go...of me.'' Said the man struggling to even utter words as the pink-eyed girl kept choking him to keep him from moving. She just barely left him able to speak to interrogate him.

''If you cooperate with me I just might let you live. Now, tell me what this place is.'' Demanded the girl, still keeping her grip strong.

''I'm... telling you...jackshit.'' Replied the man spitefully in defiance.

''Why you little...'' Said Kurotsuchi threateningly, ready to put more pressure on his neck.

It was at this moment that Naruto finally took a good look at the forehead protector of the man, and he could recognize the symbol of a single note of sound, which only meant one thing: Otogakure. He widened his eyes in realization and pointed accusingly at the man. ''You are an Oto ninja!'' His shock was such that he forgot to keep his voice down.

''Shut the fuck up, you idiot! You want the entire base to come looking for us?!'' Whispered Kurotsuchi angrily at the blond.

''This guy is one of Orochimaru's lackeys! If that bastard is involved then there is nothing good about this place!'' Said the blond now in a much quieter tone, but still with the same severity.

''Orochimaru? You mean one of the legendary Sannin like your Sensei? The one that deserted? That Orochimaru?!'' Questioned the girl astounded. She would have never guessed someone like that could be in charge of this place. If that was the case then this situation was more dangerous than she thought.

''Yea and I could bet anything that he is responsible for the disappearances. Believe me, if something bad is going around when that bastard is close by, then he is sure to have something to do with it.'' Said Naruto glaring at the man they had subdued.

Kurotsuchi then addressed the man once again. ''Is is true? Does your beloved master has something to do with that?'' Asked the Kunoichi with an edge on her voice.

''Like...I would...tell you...about Orochimaru-Sama's...Plans.'' Responded the man still struggling to speak.

''You better tell me by your own accord pal. You don't want to make me get it out of you the hard way.'' Threatened the girl once again.

''Anything you...Might do to me...Is nothing in...Comparison to what...Orochimaru-Sama will...Do...If I talk.'' Replied the man.

''You sure about that? Because I can be pretty creative with my methods.'' Said the prodigy darkly.

''Go...To...Hell.'' Said the man with finality.

''You're useless.'' Concluded Kurotsuchi, and as much as she would like to make good on her threat, she knew that this was neither the time nor the place for that, so she just settled for snapping his neck. And with a quick motion of her arms a sickening sound was heard as the man's neck was twisted to the side and his body fell limply to the floor with a thud.

''Hey, why did you do that?!'' Asked Naruto in shock, not expecting in the least for the girl to murder the man in such cold blood.

''What's the big deal? He was an enemy, so I just disposed of him. What? you wanted me to knock him out and risk him waking up and alerting his friends? Not a chance I'm taking that risk.'' Said Kurotsuchi nonchalantly.

''We could have tied him up or something, you didn't have to outright kill him!'' Insisted Naruto, still upset.

His obstination finally got on the girl's nerves. ''What the fuck is your problem, idiot?! We're Shinobi, killing is in our job description. You can't tell me you have never killed before, in fact, I saw you skewer several of my comrades if i remember correctly, so don't act like you are some sort of saint!''

''That was different, you guys were attacking me, I didn't have a choice! I'm not a murderer, I always refrain from killing unless there isn't another way!'' Truthfully, Naruto didn't have a large body count, as he preferred to incapacitate his enemies instead of killing them. In fact, most of his kills were the Iwa Shinobi he was forced to fight when they ambushed him, aside from them he could count on one hand the number of people he had been forced to put down for good and still have fingers to spare.

She rolled her eyes mockingly and had a hard time believing that they were discussing for something like this.''Oh, boo hoo. Cry me a river. Besides, now that I remember, this sacks of shit invaded your home and manipulated Suna into double-crossing you, didn't they? How many of your people did they kill, huh? I don't think they had any mercy on their part, so they don't deserve yours either.'' She reminded the blond.

Naruto quieted down somberly at the reminder, but his conviction was still firm.''Is true that they killed a lot of my comrades in the past, but If I acted like them, then I would be a scumbag too!''

Kurotsuchi felt like tearing her hair in irritation. ''Look, what's done is done. Instead of preaching me how much of a goodie-two-shoes you are, help me hide the body.''

Even though Naruto was still miffed about this entire ordeal, he still knew that they had to cover their tracks or this entire operation could crumble down, so he complied with the Iwa Kunoichi and stepped close to one of the many doors of the hallway. He carefully opened the door and scanned the inside of the room to see if anybody was in there. Thankfully no one was around so he motioned for the pink-eyed girl to enter.

Kurotsuchi rapidly grabbed the corpse by the legs and dragged him into the room. Once inside, both teenagers looked around the room to see it filled with book stands and cabinets, and quickly stuffed the dead man into one of the large cabinets.

''Humph, now that's one thing taken care of...'' Said the girl now that she was free to explore the room. ''We should have quick look through some of this files, see if we can find any good info.''

Naruto nodded in agreement and once again made a dozen copies of himself to help them with intel gathering. After a couple of minutes of going from archive to archive, they started to feel even more uneasy about this place as all they could find were documents regarding body modification and preparation of strange serums. All of the stuff was way too complicated for even Kurotsuchi to understand, but they at least got the gist of what they were about.

''Gee, these people are sick in the head.'' Murmured the Kunoichi to her blond partner as she continued to read the papers.

''Told you that you can't expect anything good when it comes to Orochimaru.'' Replied the Jinchuuriki, also invested in the archives.

''Well, no sense to keep this up. We can't even fully understand all this anyway.'' Said the girl while putting down a book she was holding.

Naruto couldn't agree more. He didn't enjoy looking through all this bizarre crap anyway, and besides, they still had a job to do. However, just before leaving he saw another door in a corner of the room, so he approached the new door to check it before leaving to continue their search.

Kurotsuchi noticed the Jinchuuriki's piqued interest and couldn't help but follow suit. They found out that behind the door was an armory if the numerous weapons hanging from the walls were any indication. There were also lab uniforms hanging from the opposite wall.

''Okay, might as well check if there is anything of use in this place.'' Added the Kunoichi.

Naruto nodded at the suggestion and together with his temporary partner he took a quick look through the weapons.

It didn't take long for something to catch his eye and he extended his arm to pick up a kanabō. It was nothing special, just a three-foot-long, fifteen-pound club made entirely from iron, with iron studs on one end, with a thick heavy end tapering towards a slender handle and with round shaft, and experimentally swung it a few times to get a feel for it. Afterward, he nodded and slung it over his shoulder, apparently satisfied.

"What do you want with that thing?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"Eh...while smashing things isn't how I prefer to fight, having an extra weapon on hand never hurts if you need it. Besides, if I can bash someone on the wrist hard enough to break bones, not only will they be too hurt to defend themselves right, but they won't be able to bust out Jutsu either. Not to mention, I can use it as a non-lethal way to incapacitate someone if I just aim for the limbs or something." Naruto explained with a shrug and a satisfied grin before getting back to continue searching through the weapons again.

The pink-eyed young woman blinked at the simple reasoning. Then she shook her head with a hapless grin. Weird and simple worked. Especially with this guy. She was starting to realize that.

Then again, weird and simple weren't necessarily bad things in the lifestyle of a ninja. Weird meant throwing an enemy off balance, and simple meant less confusion when you were working with someone. Both were good qualities in the field.

As much as she couldn't stand him, Kurotsuchi would be a poor excuse for a Jonin, young and green to the rank as she was, if she didn't recognize the perks of those qualities and knew how to best utilize them to her advantage.

Now that she thought about it, she didn't even know what was the complete extent of the blond's abilities. Yea she was briefed for a bit of his abilities when she was given her mission to capture him and all that, and even if she could see that he wasn't the most skilled ninja he had some kind of talent to get himself out of sticky situations. As they raided the supplies, the Iwa protege turned to her current ally. "I've been wondering...if all you've got are three jutsu outside of the academy basics and a demon's Chakra, how were you good enough to get a Sannin as a Sensei? What's your rank anyway? Chunin or something?"

At that, Naruto looked away and muttered something inaudible under his breath and he tried con conceal his red face of embarrassment.

"What'd you say, Konoha?" Kurotsuchi asked.

"...I'm a uh...Oh, hey...Here!" Naruto said, catching her attention to distract her from the current topic as he picked something out of the supplies and tossed it to Kurotsuchi. She caught it and looked at what it was.

A whetstone for honing edged tools. She looked at him, confused.

"For the sword of your mom." he said as he internally gave a sigh of relief at having avoided the topic of his rank. He wasn't about to give her any more ammo to ridicule him if he could help it.

Kurotsuchi blinked. Then tightened her grip on the whetstone with a small smile and slipped it into her supply pouch. She wouldn't be caught dead neglecting to care for the sword her mother left behind. It was actually kind of sweet that he was thoughtful of that.

After that little incident and having found nothing more of use in the armory, they continued creeping from corridor to corridor, expecting rooms whenever possible and using them as hiding spots if any other sound Shinobi appeared. The rooms themselves weren't much different from the very first one. A lot of them were also littered with documents and the occasional small lab if the numerous flasks and serums were anything to go by.

They continued like this for a while until Naruto tried another door, but this time, this particular room caught his attention. He stopped dead in its tracks with the door ajar and looked behind him to call over the Iwa Kunoichi. ''Hey, Kurotsuchi. You have to see this.''

Said girl looked curiously to the door the blond was opening, and a second later they both entered the new room. Now that both teenagers had a good look at the inside of the room they were speechless at what they saw. Lined up on one of the walls were around thirty huge test tubes made of glass, and inside them were people of all genders and ages. The people were missing their clothes and were submerged in some kind of green liquid. They were unconscious and were probably being kept alive by the strange green substance.

''What. The. Fuck?!'' was the only thing that Kurotsuchi was able to say at the sight of the bizarre ensemble.

''You know, I knew that bastard Orochimaru is always doing all this kind of sick experiments, but to actually witness it...'' Said Naruto just as stunned as the girl.

''Yeah, I get what you mean. There's hardly any word to describe this madness.'' Muttered the Kunoichi in disgust.

"Well, well...look what we have here."

The two whipped around to see a teenager with a pair of black rimmed circular glasses. He had onyx eyes and ash-grey hair, which was kept in a ponytail that extended to his upper back, with his bangs framing either side of his forehead. He wore a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt, dark purple fingerless gloves with armored plates on the back of the hand, a white cloth waistband worn at an angle, dark purple pants, blue sandals, and a Shuriken holster on his right leg.

"You?!" Naruto snarled, his expression going dark and getting himself into a combat position, ready to attack at a moment's notice.

"Who's this guy?" Kurotsuchi asked, following the blond's example and preparing herself to attack at the slightest sign of aggression.

"Yakushi Kabuto...accomplished medical ninja, master spy, and Orochimaru's right-hand man and living bed sheet." the Jinchuuriki spat, causing Kurotsuchi to stare in caution at facing such a high ranked member of Orochimaru's forces.

"...Okay, that bed sheet crack is false, uncalled for, and revolting." Kabuto said, his fingers twitching dangerously. "...that's Sasuke's job."

At the mention of the Uchiha's name, Naruto gave a growl of rage and his eyes turned purple, clearly on the verge of fully becoming red and letting his tenant boost his energy with the demonic Chakra.

Kurotsuchi could tell that this Kabuto guy was trying to rile Naruto up. An angry opponent was an opponent more prone to make mistakes after all. So she could appreciate the strategy. And besides, two could play this game.

''Oh, is that jealousy I sense there? What? Are you disappointed that you're not your master's playtoy but his errand boy instead? Humph, I guess Orochimaru's not so tough after all if he's so scared of us that he sent such a pushover to deal with us in his place.'' taunted back the Iwa Kunoichi.

Kabuto gave a cold smirk at the girl's remark. ''Such a sharp tongue you have there, I think I'll tear it off. For you information, I'm more than enough to deal with the likes of you, and actually, Orochimaru-Sama is not here. This whole operation is my idea. A side project, actually." the young man said, leaning casually against one of the test tanks.

"You see...while he won't admit it, the failed Suna-Oto joint invasion of Konoha, as well as the loss of the Sound Four and Kimmimaro, left Orochimaru-Sama's forces dangerously reduced in terms of high-caliber Shinobi. Can't have that, so I've been experimenting. After all, everyone has Chakra, it's all just a question of if they were trained to use it or not. So I figured trying to force it out would be productive. Rebuild Orochimaru-Sama's forces. Picked an out-of-the-way spot full of those who wouldn't be missed even if their disappearances were noticed to harvest for this project, and well...here we are."

"You...!" the two teenagers said, suddenly outraged as they remembered Yuna, her asking them to find her mother for her, even offering her piggy bank as a mission payment, and how utterly heartbroken she'd been when they wouldn't accept taking it from her, thinking they wouldn't help bring her mom back. Now they realized that Yuna's mom had to be inside one of the test tanks, and it was pretty much confirmed by this point that the rest of the missing people had to be the same test subjects.

It was impossible to tell which of them was the more furious.

Kabuto looked over the duo, ignoring their killer intent aimed at him. "You two certainly are an odd couple. I'm surprised to see a Konoha and Iwa Shinobi on the same side. Tell me, Naruto...I knew you weren't always the sharpest kunai of the bunch, but working with someone from the Village of Betrayers? Just how nasty were the circumstances that lead to this team-up? Everyone knows you can't trust Iwa. They'll use you as much as they can, then stab you in the back without a second thought as soon as they get what they want from you."

Kurotsuchi winced at Iwa being called the Village of Betrayers. As much as her pride made her outraged at him saying that about her home, she couldn't deny that she was taught by her grandfather that it was the duty and purpose of a ninja to lie, cheat, steal, and betray—doing whatever the hell it took to get the job done and ensure that you and your village came out on top.

In fact, Iwa was actually notorious for using underhanded tactics to ensure prosperity for their village, even against allies and in times of peace. Because of this, the other villages frowned upon Iwagakure and its shinobi, and its actions had earned them the moniker "Village of the Backstabbing Stone" the same way Kirigakure's old graduation test of forcing the students wishing to graduate to fight to the death had given it the nickname of the "Village of the Bloody Mist".

"Funny hearing that from a spy!" Naruto snapped, eyes narrowing.

Kabuto chuckled, holding up his hands as he shrugged at that. "Granted I both deserve and walked right into that." the glasses-wearing medic confessed, actually amused. "But I suspect you working with her isn't actually by choice, and she'd been going out of her way to be as spiteful as she can and attack you at every chance she gets, and all because you're from Konoha, am I right? That's just how Iwa is; rocks for brains and hearts of stone."

At that, the Kunoichi couldn't help but remember how she'd acted towards the blond back on that Genbu in the Land of Lightning, and when she'd attacked the moron she was currently partnered with as soon as those Kumo ninjas that had escorted them to the Land of Frost's border had left them alone.

Kurotsuchi felt her guts turn over and tie themselves into knots at the shameful fact that this sicko was right.

"I see what you're up to...Me and her can't stand one another, and you're trying to play us against each other for your own gain. If we waste time with focusing on our dislike, the mutual enemy will be the only one to benefit from us cutting one another's throats." Naruto snarled.

Both of the other two ninjas, Iwa and Oto, stared at him, stunned. How in the...?! Naruto was supposed to be stupid!

"Brilliant deduction, but how does that help? Plan to talk me to death?" the silver-haired man mocked, shaking off his surprise.

"Nope. The point is you're wasting your time. I'm not Sasuke, so I don't bother with grudges. And as for Kurotsuchi here..." Naruto smirked, "...unlike what you think, Iwa and the people from there are like mountains; solid, sturdy, and well-grounded. Do you honestly think that any of them would fall for such a stupidly cheap, obvious trick?" he said.

Kurotsuchi jerked in surprise at that, looking at the moron. Then she grinned in satisfaction. She knew that he'd said it just to tell off this Yakushi guy, but it was still a compliment to her, her village, and Iwagakure's way of life.

Kabuto scoffed, "As naive as ever, I see."

At that, the tomboy glared at Orochimaru's right-hand man again. So it was naive to praise her home, huh?! When she got hold of this Son of a...! Well...not like it mattered, she was going to try her damn hardest to kill this twisted bastard for what he was doing to the people of the Land of Frost, anyways.

Naruto, while still struggling to keep himself from using the fox's Chakra, pulled out the kanabō he'd swiped from the armory section of the base they were in and lifted his arm, readying the metal club...and from the look on his face, was currently imagining using it to splatter the head of a certain Oto ninja like an overly-ripe melon. Even if he didn't like killing he couldn't deny that he loathed the treacherous silver-haired medic."Hey, Kurotsuchi..."

The girl scowled at him, not taking her eyes off Kabuto, "What?"

"Whoever kills this twisted bastard gets to blow this sick place to hell after we rescue his victims and rig this base with explosives?"

Grinning darkly at that, the kunoichi drew her mother's blade. "Agreed!"

Having sensed that the time for screwing around was over, Kabuto quickly got serious and went on the offensive. He rushed towards the teens and extended his arm to his side ready to use his now Chakra-coated hand as a sharp scalpel as he wielded a Kunai in his other hand.

Both teenagers reacted fast and dodged the first swipe of the scalpel before Kurotsuchi parried the Kunai in Kabuto's other hand. This gave Naruto a chance to counter attack, so he raised his weapon and smashed it into the Silver-haired Oto-nin chest. But instead of the sound of bone crushing, they heard the mushy sound of mud as the clone came apart with the blow.

Both Naruto and Kurotsuchi widened their eyes and jumped away from their spot just as Kabuto emerged from the ground ready to skewer them with his scalpel-like hands.

Kurotsuchi was quick to try and slash the spy again with her blade only to meet the steel of his kunai once again. As both of them were struggling against each other, Kabuto ducked just in time to barely avoid the swing of Naruto's club aimed for the medic-nin's head but wasn't able to dodge a clone that landed a kick on his side that sent him rolling away from the girl.

However, Kabuto quickly used the momentum from the blow to right himself up and get back into a combat stance. _''They're better than I thought. I can't take them lightly at all.''_ Evaluated the medic.

It was clear that they had an advantage against the silver-haired man in a two versus one match, but that was about to change when all the ruckus from the fight alerted several of the Sound ninjas in the base and they came rushing through the door.

Twenty men entered the room and stood stunned beside Kabuto, not expecting at all to have intruders in their base. ''Kabuto-Sama are you all right? We weren't aware of any trespassers.'' Said one of the men as they all readied themselves to fight.

''Hump, clearly. Such incompetence.'' Said Kabuto in irritation. Just like his master, he wasn't tolerant of these kinds of oversights by his subordinates. ''About time you did something about them. You're lucky I'm not Orochimaru-Sama or your punishment would be worse than death itself. But there in an upside for you; I might just let this one slide if you idiots help me get rid of this pests.''Added Kabuto regarding the teenagers, which made the rest of his men now put all of their focus on the intruders.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi were on edge. The silver haired bastard was already crafty enough by himself, now things were going to get much harder with reinforcements.

''Naruto, you handle these guys while I deal with four-eyes.'' murmured the girl as she saw the Sound Shinobi starting to surround them and taking position to strike in unison. ''If we all focus on these morons the silver-haired bastard is just going to pick us off as soon as he sees an opening while fighting these guys.''

Naruto looked at her in worry, unsure if it was prudent to let her fight Kabuto by herself. He was confident that he could handle the rest with his clones, but Kabuto was a top Jounin, good enough to be the right hand of Orochimaru; he knew that he wasn't going to be easy. ''Are you sure about this? Kabuto's not someone to take lightly.'' Said the blond to his partner.

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''That's precisely why we can't leave him room to do whatever he wants. Just do what I say, I know what I'm doing.'' Replied the girl with finality.

Naruto begrudgingly agreed and made a hand seal. ''Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! (Shadow clone technique)'' more copies of the Jinchuuriki started manifesting themselves in puffs of smoke around them until the number of blonds matched the ones from the Sound ninja. Not a moment later the orange-clad Genin and his doppelgangers rushed their enemies.

Said Oto-ninja were momentarily startled at the sudden appearance of such a high number of Shadow Clones, but despite that they were quick to attack too and they clashed against the blonds.

As Naruto took care of the squad of Sound ninja, Kurotsuchi turned to Kabuto and made some hand seals. ''Doton: Doryousou! (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)'' She then put her palms on the ground and a row of spikes emerged from the ground towards the medic-nin and injured some of the other ninjas that were too busy fighting Naruto's clones to properly avoid it, but despite her effort, the silver-haired man easily jumped over the Jutsu. It also didn't help that she had to restrain herself from putting too much strength in the technique or she risked hurting the hostages or her blond companion.

Kabuto noted her reluctance to go all out due to her concern for the villagers safety and smirked, knowing that he had the upper hand in this scenario. He decided to return the favor with a Jutsu of his own and promptly made the hand seals. ''Suiton: Suidan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Bullet Technique)''

Kurotsuchi managed to avoid the stream of high pressure water by dashing to the side. She clicked her tongue knowing that in such a close quarters space sooner or later she was going to lose in the Jutsu exchange, as Kabuto didn't care at all who got caught in his techniques, that made her the on with the handicap, so the best course of action left was to get up close and personal and hope to skewer the man alive as soon as possible.

Kabuto suspected her intentions and just like Naruto, he made two clones and proceeded to start a relentless assault to overwhelm the Iwa Kunoichi and a deadly dance of steel against steel ensued.

Kurotsuchi tried to keep parrying the Kunai slashes from Kabuto and his copies but was quickly losing ground and getting shallow cuts here and there from attacks she couldn't completely cover. In a normal situation she wouldn't have that much of a trouble dealing with clones, heck she could dispatch several of Naruto's clones fast enough, but having to fight in such an enclosed space was getting to be very difficult for the girl; add to that the fact that her best Jutsu for crowd control was out of the question or she risked harming the villagers.

Finally, she slipped and one of the copies managed to touch one of her arms with his scalpel. This caused Kurotsuchi to cry a yelp of pain and drop her blade, but at least she used the proximity to her advantage and delivered a roundhouse kick to the head of the clone and dispelled it. But now she found herself cornered against a wall before Kabuto and his remaining clone, all while unarmed and unable to use Jutsu without the use of her arm.

Kabuto regarded her with a smug look on his face, knowing full well that this was most likely the end of the line for the girl. ''Well this was fun, but I'm afraid I have to end our game here. Oh how I would love to use you as a new guinea pig for a couple of experiments I have in mind, they would certainly befit a brat like you.'' Said Kabuto tauntingly and lifted his chakra encased hand, ready to finish the battle and his clone mimicked his action.

Kurotsuchi was contemplating a way to turn things around when out of nowhere Naruto appeared beside the silver-haired man and brought his metal club on the doppelgangers head, effectively dispelling it.

Naruto cursed under his breath. He had been meaning to hit the real one but he hadn't known which one was, and immediately attempted to swing the club again to the remaining medic.

The now stunned Kabuto barely dodged the strike of the blond. He hadn't expected Naruto to come to the girl's aid so soon. After a moment the answer became clear to him; just as he was having the advantage against the pink-eyed girl when he overwhelmed her with sheer numbers in an enclosed space, the same applied to Naruto and his clones. While she had been fighting him, the blond made quick work of his subordinates by exploiting the fact that they couldn't run away from the Shadow clones in this place.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi took advantage of the distraction and rapidly sprinted for her blade at Kabuto's feet and after taking it she slashed at the spy in an attempt to bisect him.

Kabuto noticed too late the movement of the Kunoichi and couldn't completely avoid the slash, which resulted in him getting a nasty deep cut on his stomach. He grunted in pain and jumped backwards to put more distance between him and the teenagers, all while keeping a glowing green hand on his wound to try and heal it as much as he could.

Naruto glared at Kabuto from across the room before looking at Kurotsuchi with a frown in concern. ''Hey, are you alright?'' asked the blond.

The girl just shrugged off the matter like it was not a big deal. ''Is nothing. I got careless and he got my arm, don't worry about it.'' She wasn't proud of that but at least they now had the bastard right where they wanted him.

''Just give up, Kabuto. It's over.'' Said the blond sternly with an angry Kunoichi behind him ready to end the medic's life should he continue pressing the fight.

Kabuto knew that he had been beaten. His wound was too deep, he wasn't going to heal it in time to an acceptable level in order to fight properly. But losing didn't mean that he had to fall. He glanced to the motionless bodies of his subordinates who had obviously been knocked out by the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and he smirked when he realized that he still had a trick up his sleeve.

''I hate to admit it, but you got me good this time. However, don't think that bringing me down will be so simple.'' He then made a hand seal and the bodies of the unconscious sound ninjas started convulsing violently.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi looked around confused at the men, and after a few moments, the unconscious Oto-ninjas stopped moving.

Naruto raised an eyebrow, not knowing what that was all about, but Kurotsuchi could note that the bodies had stopped breathing, which only served to confuse her more. _''What the fuck?! He killed his own men! what purpose does that serve?''_ was the only thing that really concerned the girl.

Her question was soon answered as the bodies once again started moving, but this time, they raised slowly, but the men weren't quite acting normally. She realized that their eyes were glazed and their movements were erratic, and the most bizarre thing was that they weren't breathing still.

''W-What is going on?! Why are they acting like that?''Asked Naruto as he and Kurotsuchi continued to watch the corpses rise.

''This is my Shikon no Jutsu(Dead Soul Technique)'' Explained Kabuto in a matter of fact way. ''I had already put seals on their bodies to let me control their vitals should the occasion arise that they would serve me better dead than alive. The seals also made my Jutsu work instantly without much setup beforehand. After all, I always say that one should be prepared for everything'' Ended Kabuto with a dark chuckle, not caring in the least about the fate of his undead men.

''You are one sick motherfucker.'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly with disgust. doing something like this to a comrade was something she considered unfathomable.

''They should keep you busy for a while. I hope we meet again so I can get you back for ruining this side project. Until next time.'' Finished the silver haired man before sinking into the ground and out of sight.

''Damn it, that bastard got away!'' Yelled Naruto in anger at letting one of his worst enemies escape.

''Worry about that later. We still have to deal with these freaks.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she slashed a couple of the undead Shinobi with her blade, and she realized that she needed to cut them into pieces or cut off their head, otherwise they didn't seem to stay down.

Naruto put his attention to the remaining enemies and used them to vent his frustration.

The corpses posed little threat to them as long as they were paying attention to their movements, they only served as an annoyance really. And after several minutes of fending them off, the corpses just suddenly stopped moving altogether, which most likely meant that the Jutsu had finally run out.

''Well I'm glad that's over.''Said Kurotsuchi with a grateful sigh.

''At least that should be all of them. But I can't believe I let that bastard get away. He doesn't deserve to run free, and he may have known where Sasuke is.'' Replied Naruto mortified.

''It is a shame that we couldn't get four-eyes, but what can we do now? Besides, now we can finally free these people from those things.'' Said the girl pointing with her thumb to the still trapped villagers.

Naruto widened his eyes in realization. He had forgotten about that for a moment. ''Oh, that's right. We still have to save them.'' He felt ashamed to have forgotten his original purpose, even if only momentarily.

After that, both teenagers approached again the test tubes and stared at them clueless.

''So, how do you think we get them out of there?'' asked the pink-eyed Kunoichi. She didn't exactly know hot to operate this kind of machine.

Naruto had a thoughtful frown as he stared back and forth between the glass and his club.

''Oh no, you can't possibly be thinking of just smashing the glass, right? We could hurt them'' Asked Kurotsuchi alarmed after she picked up on what the blond was planning.

''We might, but I think is more likely that we end up hurting them more if we start tinkering with the machine. We aren't sure what Kabuto was doing, maybe this is a delicate process. So I think is best if we just get them out of there bluntly.'' Naruto explained his reasoning.

As much as Kurotsuchi wanted to argue with the boy, she couldn't. He was right, they didn't know if they could make the machine do something bad to the poor people being used as guinea pigs. So even if it wasn't ideal, maybe breaking the glass was their best bet.

''Ok, fine. But do it quickly.'' Said the girl with resignation.

Naruto nodded warily before preparing his club to smash a hole right trough the tube. ''Stand back.'' Said the blond plainly before swinging the weapon and shattering the glass with a loud crack.

As soon as the glass broke a great quantity of the green liquid came gushing from the giant tube and left the woman trapped inside laying on the floor as she coughed the sickly liquid.

''I think she isn't fully awake yet. Help me get her up.'' Ordered the prodigy to the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto complied and did just that, and after getting the brown haired woman into a sitting position he took off his cloak and wrapped it around her to cover her lack of clothing.

The woman continued to cough the liquid until she finally started opening her eyes numbly before going into a panic. ''Get away from me, you sickos!'' Attempted the girl to struggle and free herself from the teenagers.

''Hey calm down, lady!'' Yelled Naruto while trying to keep her from running away from them and getting herself hurt in her confusion.

''The idiot is right, you have nothing to fear anymore. We are here to help you!'' Added Kurotsuchi, joining in the effort to keep her calm.

For a moment, it seemed like the woman wasn't gonna listen, but she stopped herself for a single moment to take a better look at the youngsters. ''You don't look like them.'' Realized the confused woman.

''That's what we are trying to tell you, we are your friends.'' Said Naruto with a comforting grin.

''D-Do Y-you mean it?! This isn't a trick?!'' Asked the woman in disbelief. However, she still seemed hopeful.

Both teens nodded at her question and Kurotsuchi elaborated.

''Everyone in your village is worried about you. We came to find you and take you back.'' Said the Iwa Kunoichi while putting her hand on the woman's shoulder.

Said woman stared at them wide eyed for a moment before breaking into tears and enveloping Kurotsuchi in a hug. ''Thank all heavens! You have no idea how terrible this place is.'' Said the woman between sobs.

Kurotsuchi was stunned in the woman's embrace, clearly not expecting the action. Not knowing what to do she just settled for lamely patting the back of the older girl to try and calm her down. She then turned to look at Naruto to send him a threatening look in warning to make him refrain from making fun of her, but she just found the blond smiling warmly at the scene and clearly glad that things were fine, so she couldn't help but smile herself.

''I felt so bad for my darling and Yuna. They must be so worried about me.'' Added the woman before continuing to stain Kurotsuchi's clothes with her tears.

Now that statement made both teenagers look at each other with a surprised look. Now they could rest easy knowing that their mission was over. But first, they still had to free everyone else.

Kurotsuchi signaled Naruto to do just that as she continued to support the crying woman.

Naruto nodded and proceeded to smash the rest of the water tanks.

After having woken up everyone and trying to calm the villagers to keep them in order (which was hard enough and the room full of dead Oto-nin didn't help) they went back to the armory and grabbed the clothes that they previously saw and outfitted all the prisoners with them. They obviously weren't fond of wearing the same uniforms as their captors, but they couldn't complain right now.

then they exited the hideout and Naruto made a Shadow Clone for every villager to carry them, as they wouldn't last long in this cold if they travelled slowly, especially because the clothes they found for them weren't suited for the climate.

They all traveled to the village at record speed and as soon as the town was close enough, the villagers in the backs of the clones couldn't help but cry out in happiness at seeing their home.

''We are back, everyone!''

''We managed to come come back!''

''That nightmare is finally over!''

''I can't wait to see my family again!''

Similar thoughts were voiced loudly among the group, which caused some of the town inhabitants to notice the large group approaching them. They quickly recognized their friends and family members and cried in joy at seeing their loved ones safe and sound.

The commotion made the rest of the people realize what was going on and soon all the inhabitants of the village gathered in the outskirts to cheer and celebrate the return of their friends and family.

All that made Naruto and Kurotsuchi find themselves being greeted by a large number of people laughing and cheering joyfully when they arrived, a stark contrast of how they first found the little town. As soon as they arrived, their passengers didn't waste any time from getting off of the backs of the blond's clones to rush and meet with their people as they embraced each other with joyful tears in their eyes.

Both teens smiled warmly at seeing the people happy at last and internally congratulated themselves for a work well done. But before leaving they still wanted to check on someone.

They didn't take long to find her when they heard the voice of Yuna. ''Mommy!'' They turned around to see the little girl run to the first woman they saved and wrapped her little arms around the woman's waist before bursting into tears at seeing her precious mother alive and well.

''Yuna-Chan! Sweetie, I'm so sorry for making you and your dad worry about me.'' Replied the woman, also with tears in her eyes and returning her child's embrace.

The little girl shook her head while she was still burring herself in her mother's lap. ''I'm just glad that you are fine, mommy! I promise I won't give you trouble anymore, just please don't go again.''

''I promise I won't, sweetheart. I promise I won't.'' Said the mother trying to comfort the girl, but failed as she also cried harder.

''Honey! You are back!'' Said the same man that the teens met before at the store as he approached them in a sprint.

''I am, darling. I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm not leaving you two ever again.'' Said the woman as the man joined his family in their hug.

''We'll talk later, honey. Right now I'm just happy to have my precious family together again.'' Responded the man as he held the two girls tightly as if he was going to lose them if he let go of them.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi smiled at the heartwarming reunion before looking at each other with satisfied grins and a thumbs up.

''I think we should leave. Let these folks enjoy their time together, you know.'' Naruto whispered to Kurotsuchi to which the girl nodded.

''Yeah I think we are done here. Besides, there doesn't seem to be storms coming anytime soon. So I guess it's safe to continue our trip.'' Said the girl in agreement.

They both turned to leave when they were interrupted by a voice. ''Hey wait, where are you going?''

They turned around and found Yuna running towards them with a frown before stopping in front of them. ''You are the ninja that brought mommy back, right? Why are you going already?''

Kurotsuchi smiled down at the girl and put a hand on her head. ''We have somewhere we need to go, but don't worry, we'll be back someday.'' Responded the Iwa girl.

''Yuna is right. We really would love for you to stay a while longer. However, if you really need to go we can understand that.''

Naruto and Kurotsuchi saw Yuna's father approach them too, and behind him were most of the town's inhabitants.

''Though even if get you have important stuff to do is a shame that you can't stay.'' Continued the man. ''But we don't even know your names. I'm sure everyone here would like to know the name of our heroes.'' Said Yuna's father and the rest of the villagers agreed in unison.

Both Shinobi got a bit red in embarrassment at being called 'heroes'. Naruto put a hand behind his head with a smile and Kurotsuchi scratched her shoulder in an effort to downplay her action.

''I'm Uzumaki Naruto, future Hokage. And I just did what I thought was right, so don't worry about it.'' Replied the Jinchuuriki with a thumbs up as Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at his self-proclamation of becoming future Hokage.

''I'm Kurotsuchi, the best Kunoichi in Iwa. Like Naruto said, I just did what felt was the good thing to do.'' Said the girl, trying to not sound too cocky, but considering her nature it was a bit hard.

''Then, big brother Naruto, Big sister Kurotsuchi; I'll be waiting for you, please return soon.'' Said the little girl with glee.

''Of course we will. I always keep my promises, dattebayo!'' Replied Naruto cheerfully.

''Will do, kiddo. Keep your mom and dad safe, okay?'' Added Kurotsuchi with a smile.

''I'll try to become strong like you. Next time you see me I'll be able to defend my mom, and no one will bother us again.'' Said Yuna with determination.

''I'm sure you will.'' Finished the pink-eyed girl giving a pat on the head to the small girl. ''Okay Naruto, I think it's time to get going.'' Said Kurotsuchi turning her head to the Jinchuuriki.

''Yea, I think you are right.'' Answered Naruto before turning again to the crowd. ''See ya guys, I hope to see everyone soon!'' Replied the blond with a wave to the grateful people.

''Come back soon and stay safe on your travels!''

"Bye Big brother and sister!"

"Farewell!"

"Thank you again for everything!"

Both teens turned away as they heard the cheers from the people they just helped, and once again they felt good about their deed. Now they proceeded to resume their trip back home.

However, as their silhouettes started getting smaller and smaller from the village, the black and white figure of Zetsu Saw the whole thing from atop a nearby hill.

"Found them at last." **"Let's inform Tobi and Pain."** Said both halves of the strange plant-like man before once again sinking into the ground and vanishing any trace of them.

 **Author's note:**

 **I'm alive! I'm so so so sorry it took me this long to update, I really have no excuse. But worry not, to make up for it I'm working fast to deliver the next chapters. In fact, I already have completed the next one I just need to spell check it and it will be good to go! Again I'm sorry for my tardiness. Please review if you have the time :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Tracked Down

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 10: Tracked Down

-Somewhere in the Land of Frost-

Jiraiya, along with team eight and what remained of team seven, entered yet another town of the snowy country in an effort to find more Intel on Naruto's whereabouts. They had had to stay in Shimogakure for a few days due to the raging storms in the area and had been left with no choice but to wait there until the storm died out. After that, they had been visiting every village they had passed to do a quick research on anything that could help them find their blond teammate as they were now close enough to The Land of Lightning that it was feasible to expect to find info in these places. Although on the plus side their forced break had helped Jiraiya to recover from his fatigue.

''Awww man, I'm getting tired of this place. Akamaru and I Aren't exactly suited for this kind of weather.'' Kiba complained loudly and Akamaru gave a bark of agreement.

''Will you shut up, Kiba! Complaining about the cold won't make it go away.'' Yelled Sakura to the feral boy with a raised fist, a habit that she hadn't grown out of yet. ''You should take a note from Hinata and Shino, they don't bitch about it at all.'' Even if Naruto was missing, Kiba was close enough replacement and more than enough to keep getting on her nerves.

''Okay, calm down you two. A team isn't supposed to fight.'' Said Kakashi serenely in an effort to keep the peace. It was natural to be on edge when a comrade was in trouble and his wellbeing depended on you, but they were Shinobi and were supposed to keep a clear head.

''Is imperative that we don't waste the few chances to go along the way to find information. Our efforts would be better spent on that endeavor instead of discussing.'' Added Shino in his ever matter of fact attitude.

''I know that. I just think that we have wasted enough time in this place, that's all. He went missing in the Land of Lightning and we should go there as quickly as possible instead of wandering in this freezer.'' Explained Kiba, still annoyed.

''And what would you have us do exactly, dog boy?'' Said Jiraiya, glancing back to look at the Chunin with a stern look. ''If we had rushed by a few days earlier we could have gotten trapped in a storm. Only a moron would travel in that situation.''

Kiba got nervous at being scolded by one of the legendary Sannin and put his hands in front of himself in appeasement. ''Okay I get it, sorry for that. I'm just worried about Naruto. It's been a while since he went missing and if he died because I was fooling around I couldn't take it, man.'' Finished the Inuzuka.

''Naruto-Kun is not dead!'' Said an upset Hinata, almost shouting. She had been especially worried about the blond and the last thing she wanted to hear was that the boy she loved had died and she had been unable to help.

The girl's outburst surprised everyone as they all stared at Hinata momentarily as they weren't used to the shy girl acting this way.

Kiba widened his eyes in shock. He hadn't expected to piss off the Hyuga heiress of all people. ''S-sorry Hinata. Of course he is not dead, he is way too stubborn to just roll up and die. I bet he is...wait a minute!'' Kiba's sudden exalted yell grabbed the attention of everyone present.

''What is it, Kiba-Kun?'' Asked a disconcerted Kakashi. He didn't feel any hostiles around, but one couldn't be sure. Maybe the Inuzuka's nose picked something he hadn't.

''Is Naruto's Smell! His smell is everywhere in this place!'' Said Kiba bewildered.

Everyone widened their eyes in astonishment and made even Jiraiya give his full attention from the front of the unit.

''What?! Are you certain of this?'' Asked the Sannin with urgency.

Kiba nodded firmly. ''It doesn't smell too recent, but there is no mistaking it; this is Naruto's smell. Right Akamaru?''

The large dog sniffed the air like his master before barking eagerly, confirming what Kiba had said.

''Naruto was here?'' Said Sakura surprised. ''Do you have a trail?''

''His scent is all over the place, but I can't smell much in the outskirts of the village. Probably the blizzards covered his track.'' Said Kiba with disappointment.

''In that case, everyone, scatter around the village and ask these people for Naruto. If he truly was here someone must know something. Naruto is easy to remember after all.'' Ordered Kakashi to the young Chunin.

At Kakashi's order, everyone broke away from their formation and went to ask around the village.

Kakashi and Sakura went together and entered one of the buildings, the one that seemed to be a small store. After they entered they saw two people behind the counter, a man and a woman, and in a corner of the shop there was a small girl playing with a plastic Kunai and pretending to fight imaginary enemies with it.

''Welcome. I hope that you are having a good day, and please have a look around our humble store.'' greeted them the woman cheerfully with a small bow.

''Wow, it seems that ninjas are coming here more frequently, which is fine by us really. We really owe ninjas, especially Konoha and Iwa.'' Said the man beside the woman, also with a small bow.

Both Shinobi raised their eyebrows in curiosity at hearing the couple's praise for Konoha and Iwa, especially all the way out here in the Land of Frost.

But Sakura didn't waste any more time and proceeded to explain their visit. ''Hi to you both. Thanks for your warm welcome, but we are kinda in a hurry, and we were wondering if you could help us.'' Even more so now that they heard that Shinobi had been coming recently.

This time, it was Kakashi's turn to speak. ''We are looking for our teammate. He went missing a while ago. He is blond, has blue eyes, is pretty loud and likes to wear orange. His name is Naruto. Do you by any chance know anyone like that?''

Both store owners widened their eyes in surprise before smiling happily.

''Naruto-Kun? Of course, we know him. He was here just yesterday.'' Said the woman clapping her hands together.

''He is a hero in our village, we all know of him. He saved a lot of our people, my wife included, from some nasty men.'' Said the man while glancing with affection to the woman now confirmed to be his wife.

Now the ones surprised were Sakura and Kakashi. That was the last thing they had expected to hear. So not only was Naruto safe but he also managed to somehow save an entire village while he was finding his way around? He certainly wasn't the number one most surprising ninja for anything.

''He did what? How? And where is he now?'' Asked Sakura still trying to process what she just learned.

''Are you talking about big brother Naruto?''

Everyone turned around to see the little girl now approaching them from where she had been playing before.

''Are you his friends?'' Asked the little girl with a toothy grin.

Sakura smiled warmly at the little girl. ''Yes we are. We are looking for him, missy. A lot of people are worried about him and want to bring him home.'' Explained the pinkette.

''Why are you worried about? Big brother Naruto is pretty strong and he is with big sister Kurotsuchi, who is also strong. I don't think anything bad will happen to him.'' Said the girl.

Kakashi furrowed his brow. ''Who is this Kurotsuchi you speak of? And you say she was with Naruto?'' Asked the copy ninja puzzled.

''You don't know? Well, she is a Kunoichi that was with him earlier. I think she was from Iwa. Actually, it was both of them who helped us. They are both heroes around here.'' Informed the man to the surprised Konoha shinobi.

''They were both so brave. I didn't think someone would save us from those monsters, but they did and didn't even ask for anything in return. They are both so noble.'' Said the woman with nothing but praise and admiration.

Meanwhile, both Kakashi and Sakura were left without words. What the hell was Naruto doing? And with an Iwa Kunoichi no less?

Kakashi shook off his shock and continued his questioning. ''That's really something...Anyway, would you tell us where they went? Is very important that we catch up to them.''

''Why, of course, we would love to help you. Any friend of Naruto-Kun and Kurotsuchi-Chan are friends of us.'' Responded the woman.

''They didn't exactly say where they were heading, but we can tell you which way they went.'' Said the man.

''That would be much appreciated. Thank you for your help.'' Said Kakashi with a small bow of his own.

Even if they didn't know what was going on, they at least had a general direction to go to and hopefully find a trail. So they followed the shop owners out of the store and went to find the rest of their squad to share with them what they just learned.

-Land of Hot Water-

''Finally! No more snow or cold!'' Yelled Naruto in excitement as he and Kurotsuchi arrived in a clearing in the border on the Land of Hot Water. ''After this, I swear I'll never complain about Konoha's weather ever again.'' He never did anyway, the climate in his home was perfect in his opinion, but this just cemented his stance on it even more.

Despite feeling the same way, Kurotsuchi didn't comment on it as she had been debating something for a while now. They were out of the Land of Frost, so that meant that they didn't have any reason to continue working together. She could continue her mission as she should and this was a perfect opportunity to do it now as the moron was distracted. She had her hand on the handle of her blade, her fingers twitching, unsure if she should go for an attack or not.

''You know...you are not as bad as I thought.'' Said Naruto as he turned to the girl with a grin.

That statement made her take her hand off her blade and looked at Naruto who was now looking directly at her with a sheepish smile. ''Uh?'' Was the only thing that Kurotsuchi could mutter in her confusion.

''We worked great together back then in that base and, you know, I think that you aren't half bad.'' Continued Naruto. ''And I know you wanted to fight and I was all up for it, but to tell the truth, I would rather not. I mean, I think that it would be better if we just went our separate ways. I only want to get to Konoha as fast as I can, and I'm sure you want to get to Iwa soon, right? sooo...Whadda you say? Are we cool?'' He finished by extending his hand towards her to shake hands.

She stared at his hand, unsure of what to do. One one side she had a duty to do and they were still enemies no matter how well they worked together in that last adventure. But on the other hand, she did lose her will to fight him somewhat, if only because she was getting used to the blond moron and she would much rather just go straight to Iwa as soon as possible without wasting any more time, even despite her mission. After a moment of thinking, she sighed after having finally made up her mind and calmly brushed the Jinchuuriki's hand away with her own.

Naruto got on edge at her reaction and expecting her to attack he got tense, not quite positioning himself into a fighting stance but still ready to get into action at any hostile move on her part, but was confused when she didn't attack him either.

''We aren't friends and we will never be, you idiot.'' Said the girl with a serious look as she stared at the tense face of the blond. ''I Hate Konoha and all of you bastards, and there are few things in this world that I want more than to kill all of you.''

Naruto got worried, he suspected she wasn't gonna back off but that didn't mean he liked it. He just wished the hateful girl wasn't so stubborn and dead set on her revenge.

''However...'' Continued the girl.

Naruto raised his eyebrow at that. '' _However_?'' Thought the confused boy.

The girl was amused by his reaction but still continued. ''You are probably the Konoha bastard I'd like to kill the least.'' She finished and put on a smug grin.

Naruto was momentarily startled by her words and in his surprise, he struggled to form sentences.

''So that means...'' Said Naruto leaving the words hanging.

The pink-eyed girl nodded in affirmation. ''Yea, that means that you can go to your crappy village. I won't try to stop you this time. But bear in mind that I won't hesitate to gut you if we meet again.'' Said the girl in warning.

''Then let's hope it doesn't come to that.'' Said the blond with a grin that earned him a similar one from the girl. It felt like a weight had been lifted off his shoulder knowing that this was probably the closest he was gonna get to a mutual understanding with the tomboy.

''So here you are, Kyuubi.''

Startled, both teenagers turned around to see two men draped in black cloaks with red clouds that could only mean one thing: Akatsuki.

One of them was a pale man with slicked back straight silver hair. He had his cloak open with no shirt underneath and had a forehead protector tied around his neck with a village symbol that neither teen had ever seen. He was also carrying a large triple-bladed scythe on his back.

The other man was tall and had a tan. His head was covered by a white hood and his mouth and nose were covered with a black mask. He had his slashed Taki forehead protector on his head and the thing that was the most peculiar about this one were the stitches in his arms and his eyes were a strange color of green pupils and red sclera.

'' _I didn't even sense them approach. These guys are dangerous.''_ Thought Kurotsuchi with narrowed eyes. She didn't expect anything less from the Akatsuki. After her previous encounter with the blue-skinned freak, she wasn't about to underestimate the organization again.

''You!...you are from Akatsuki!'' yelled Naruto in surprise and anger.

''I see you have the great ability to state the obvious. I was informed that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was dumb, and I guess it wasn't a lie.'' Taunted the silver-haired man with a wicked smirk.

''I had to pass on some good opportunities to collect bounties to come get you, Kyuubi. So you better not make me waste any more of my time. Time is money after all.'' Said Kakuzu clearly irritated.

''Damn it. Why can't these pricks just leave me alone? But on the other hand, I say it's time for some payback. Isn't that right, Kurotsuchi?'' Said the blond warily and glanced to the Iwa kunoichi to assess her reaction. ''Uhh? Kurotsuchi?''

The young prodigy seemed anxious and not really determined to fight. And that was because Kurotsuchi -despite being stranded in part because of the Akatsuki's fault- Was starting to reason that there was no point for her and stay and fight these guys. Sure, she would love to return the favor for the Akatsuki's interference that put her in this situation to begin with, but after experiencing first hand the power of one of their members she wasn't particularly eager to try her luck against missing-nin of this caliber. She didn't owe anything to Naruto. It wasn't her problem if they wanted to use him as their punching bag. All in all, she was seriously considering just making a run for it and letting the orange-clad ninja to fend for himself. After all, their target was Naruto so they shouldn't care if she fled, right?

''Hahahaha! It seems that your little friend here isn't set on helping you, brat.'' Mocked Hidan with a hand on his face to be even more condescending.

''A wise choice really. I only memorize faces that I know have a high bounty on their heads, and I don't think you have any, girl. Not any that would be worth my time anyway. If you don't get involved you might just live.'' Said Kakuzu nonchalantly to the girl.

It had finally dawned on Naruto that it was true, Kurotsuchi didn't have to get involved in this. He had momentarily forgotten that they weren't really allies and the Akatsuki didn't have any need to be picking fights with her if it wasn't necessary. Now Naruto was starting to dread the situation more and more by the moment. Fighting two members of Akatsuki by himself was a worst case scenario, it was practically suicide. Of course, he wouldn't go down without giving his absolute best to give them hell. But even he knew that his chances of winning were abysmal.

''Like her help would make much difference.'' Mocked Hidan. ''Iwa already proved they are a bunch of wimps. If we could lay waste to their village so easily and fool them to make them lose their Jinchuuriki, then a single one of them is a joke.''

Kurotsuchi's entire body went rigid in shock and her face became devoid of any emotion. ''What did you just say?'' Her voice was barely above a whisper and her eyes were giving a chilling cold glare.

''Oh, don't tell me you weren't informed. While you were away we took the time to pay your home a little visit. You may have trouble recognizing the place once you get there.'' Said Hidan without a care in the world. ''I wish I had been in the village to witness all the dead people in their last moments, those are always the best.'' Added the sadist with a sigh.

Kurotsuchi was grinding her teeth and got progressively more angry throughout the explanation until she finally exploded. ''That's it! I'm gonna strangle you with your own intestines, you fuckers!'' And in an instant, all her reservations about fighting the duo vanished completely. She then rushed with her sword at the ready with a battle cry, fueled with blinding rage.

Hidan quickly grabbed the scythe on his back and parried the numerous attacks of the girl with ease, all the while with a smirk on his face as the girl's attempt to hurt him amused him to no end. ''So she has some bite in her. Kakuzu, let me deal with them myself. It's been a while since I've used anyone for my ritual. Jashin-Sama might get angry with me at this rate.'' Said the man to his partner as he continued to clash with the prodigy.

Kakuzu didn't like to waste more time here, but he supposed letting Hidan deal with it, this time, wouldn't hurt. If He managed to deal with them by himself then good for him, and if somehow they kicked Hidan's ass that would take him down a peg or two. So as long as he didn't let the Jinchuuriki get away he didn't care either way. ''Fine, but don't underestimate them or you might die.'' His comment made his partner snicker as he considered the notion ridiculous.

Naruto soon joined the girl in her barrage of attacks. He kinda felt bad for the tomboy. He knew that he would react the same way if they had attacked Konoha and his friends, so he could sympathize. Besides, fighting together played to their advantage anyway. He then made a single hand seal which created five clones. He sent four of them to join the fray, with Kunai at the ready, and he momentarily stayed back with another to make a Rasengan with its assistance.

The new combatants forced Hidan back as he now was finding himself hard pressed to keep parrying that many weapons at the same time and he was actually starting to get a few cuts here and there. _''Annoying brats!_ '' Though Hidan with a frown. So instead on continuing his struggle, he jumped back and slashed his scythe in a wide arc, catching the clones and dispersing them, but unfortunately for him, the girl managed to duck to avoid the attack. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and in his overconfidence he didn't notice in time the couple of blonds that flanked him with a blue ball of Chakra the size of his head that both blonds carried.

''Odama Rasengan!(Big Ball Spiraling Sphere) Yelled Naruto as The attack connected with Hidan's stomach.

The man let out a cry of pain as he momentarily could feel his skin tearing.

Then the ball of chakra separated from the Jinchuuriki and carried the Akatsuki member through the forest violently, knocking down all the trees in his way.

Both teenagers stood there feeling satisfied with their performance. They both knew how destructive the Rasengan was and to take a large sized one at point blank should be devastating for anyone. Akatsuki or not they didn't think he would be getting up from it. They never guessed that they would beat an Akatsuki member so soon but the guy had been arrogant and let his guard down.

''One bastard down, another one to go.'' Said the Kunoichi, eyeing the remaining Akatsuki member.

They both got into position, preparing themselves to attack Kakuzu, but they noticed something strange. The man wasn't even making a move, he looked bored in fact.

'' _What's wrong with him? We just took down his partner and he doesn't look concerned at all._ '' Thought Naruto suspiciously. He glanced at Kurotsuchi and found her to be just as confused as he was.

Then they heard the sound of something cutting through the air and the threw themselves out of the way as a three bladed scythe that was connected with a rope passed above them.

''That hurt, you little shits!''

They widened their eyes and looked over to where the other member had flown over to, just to find said man walking towards them. His cloak had been torn and left him bare chested but other than that he seemed unharmed. He was holding the rope that was connected to the scythe and pulled it back to catch the weapon again.

'' _It can't be! He took the Rasengan directly, he shouldn't be alive, let alone walking like nothing happened!''_ Thought Naruto dumbfounded.

'' _What is this freak? He should be dead!''_ Though Kurotsuchi just as shocked as Naruto before quickly recovering her will to gut the man alive. _''Well whatever. So he is a little tough to crack, so what? I'm still gonna make him pay for what they did to my home.''_

''Serves you right for letting your guard down.'' Kakuzu scolded Hidan. ''Keep making those mistakes and they'll end up killing you for real.''

''How many times do I have to tell you, Kakuzu? I can't die'' Boasted Hidan arrogantly.

''I call bullshit!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi when she lunged with her sword, ready to decapitate the man but was stopped when once again the man used his scythe to block the strike. But instead of pressing her attack, the girl retreated back as a new batch of Naruto clones appeared around the silver-haired man and started attacking him again.

Now with the Jashinist preoccupied with the Doppelgangers, Kurotsuchi rapidly made some hand seals as she now had the man where she wanted him. '' _I got you now!''_ ´ ''Doton: Doryousou! (Earth Release: Earth Flow Spears)'' She slammed her hands on the ground and large spikes started to sprout instantly from the earth beneath Hidan.

Hidan saw the ground shift and Jumped while putting his scythe in front of him to take the brunt of the damage, and while the attack didn't pierce him due to this, the impact was strong enough to send him even further in the air. '' _They used the clones as fodder just to try and set that up.''_ 'Thought Hidan with a sneer.

''U!...'' Hidan heard Naruto say as he felt the foot of one of the Jinchuuriki's clones connect with his back, sending him even further into the air. ''zu!..'' This time, Hidan was ready for the next blow and while still in mid-air, he slashed at the next clone attempting to hit him again. ''ma!...'' Once again he did the same to the next. ''ki!...'' And again. '' _Like I'm gonna let this idiot get me again''_ Because he had been busy fending off the clones, Hidan didn't notice when the real Naruto dived into him from the top of a tree with a Rasengan in hand. ''Naruto Rendan! (Naruto Uzumaki Combo)'' He grunted in pain as he was violently sent to the ground from the strong force of the spiraling sphere of Chakra. He landed hard on the ground and made a small crater. Despite everything hurting for him right now, it was all but a minor inconvenience for Hidan and he started standing up from his landing spot. ''I see you are fond of sneak attacks, eh? Can't blame you, even you realize fighting me directly would be very bad for you.'' But before he did anything he noticed that he was standing in some sticky pool of an ash-like substance. '' _What the hell is this Shit?''_

''Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Water Trumpet)''

He then noticed the girl standing in the trunk of a tree as she spat a blob of water towards him. He quickly took his scythe from the pool of ash and with a mighty swing he broke apart the blob of water and turned it into harmless droplets. ''Hahahaha! What kind of weak and pathetic attack was that?!'' Mocked the sadist. He guessed that the girl must have been running out of Chakra, as that water Jutsu had left much to be desired. However, he raised an eyebrow when he noticed the girl smirking victoriously and wondered what was up. He then started to see that the pool of ash he was standing on started to quickly harden, effectively trapping his movement. ''What is this!? What did you do, you stupid bitch?!'' Yelled the man as the tried to move his now stuck feet.

'' That is my Yoton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu (Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' Explained the girl with a condescending look. ''Now that you are stuck in it, you are as good as dead.'' She then turned to her ally. '' Idiot, would you hold him in place for me?'' Requested the girl to the Jinchuuriki standing beside her.

''Way ahead of you!'' Yelled a horde of copies of the blond as they rushed past her to subdue the Akatsuki member.

Hidan swung his scythe left and right skillfully. Even when trapped, his ability with the weapon was still remarkable and popped any clone that dared get close to him. But still, despite his intent, the clones were too many for him to be fighting stationary and finally some of them grabbed each of his arms and his waist. Now he was completely immobile as the blonds kept him in place. ''Get off me, you assholes!'' Yelled Hidan trying to shake off the doppelgangers, but they just wouldn't budge.

Now that Kurotsuchi saw that he wouldn't be able to disembowel her once she got close to him, she started running with her sword poised to strike. ''Now let's see you survive this!'' She then slammed her sword into the man's heart, dealing a definitive lethal wound. ''Now we really got you. Go to hell, you bastard.''

Naruto was relieved when he saw that Hidan stood motionless, and the Shadow Clones relaxed their grip now that they finally finished one of the missing-nin. They were relieved that now the man had to definitely stay down. All that was left was to worry about Kakuzu...

-Somewhere else in the Land of Hot Water-

meanwhile; Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura and Team eight were hastily following the track left by Naruto. After Receiving directions from that small village in the Land of Frost, they finally managed to get a solid trail to track the Jinchuuriki. Now Kiba and Akamaru had no trouble picking up his scent, and since they first did they have been traveling full speed non-stop.

''Have you seen anything, Hinata?'' Asked Sakura to the Hyuga heiress.

''Not yet. Naruto-Kun must be a little bit farther.'' Said the Shy girl as she kept her Kekkei Genkai active, the Byakugan.

''How is our progress, Kiba?'' Inquired the stoic Shino.

''We are close. His scent has been getting steadily stronger for a while now. If I'm not mistaken we should meet up with the guy and the Iwa girl in just a few minutes.'' Said Kiba glancing back from the front of the unit along with Jiraiya and Akamaru.

''I still don't understand what is Naruto's relation to this person.'' Wondered the Aburame once again.

''Beats me. But I can smell another trail of scent along with his, a female scent. So if it isn't that girl I don't know who else could it be.'' Said Kiba and Akamaru barked in affirmation, letting know that he could smell it too.

''It is quite weird for him to be traveling along with an Iwa ninja. Considering that they were the ones who attacked him and Jiraiya-Sama.'' Said Kakashi aloud.

''That knucklehead is always getting himself into trouble. One can never guess what kind of bizarre situation he is going to get involved in.'' Said a tense and exasperated Jiraiya.

As they were traveling, Shino saw one of the many insects he had sent to scout ahead and extended a finger to let the little creature pose itself there. After a few moments, he started frowning deeper and deeper as the insect relayed the information it had gathered. ''We have big problems, everyone.'' Informed Shino which caused everyone to pay attention to him. He didn't waste any more time to wait for someone to ask what was wrong and just voiced his concerns immediately. ''One of my scouts has informed me that Naruto is currently engaged with two men with black cloaks and red clouds. If my memory serves me right those are Akatsuki uniforms.'' Warned Shino to the group.

Everyone gasped as the troubling news.

''This is bad. If what Jiraiya-Sama says is correct, Naruto is not yet ready to be facing the Akatsuki by himself.'' Said Kakashi with worry evident in his voice.

''No! we can't let them take Naruto-Kun!'' Said Hinata in panic.

''And we won't! Pick up the pace, all of you! If you don't then I'll leave you behind!'' Yelled Jiraiya with authority.

''Roger!'' Said everyone in unison and started going even faster than they had previously been going. They just hoped that Naruto could hold his own for a little bit until they got there.

-Somewhere in the Land of Hot Water-

Kurotsuchi smirked gleefully as she stood there with her hand on her sword as she kept the weapon buried in the man's heart. Now that they just dealt with the mad man they could focus their attention on the other.

''Nice try, retards.''

The voice of the supposedly dead Shinobi startled both Kurotsuchi, Naruto and the Doppelgangers, and Hidan took that opportunity to break free of the clone's hold. He swung his scythe in front of him, catching his attackers as they were all still in close range to him except for Naruto. His attack dispelled all the clones and Kurotsuchi attempted to dodge it by jumping back, but she was too close to avoid it completely and took a deep cut to her arm.

Said girl growled in pain as she held her wound with her other arm and was forced to leave her blade buried in the man's chest. But still, all this didn't distract her from her main concern. '' _This is impossible! How is this fucker alive after that?!''_ ' She was positive she pierced his heart, it was simply not possible for him to be alive!

Naruto was just as concerned as Kurotsuchi. ''How is he still alive?! I'm sure we got him this time!'' Yelled the perplexed blond.

While they were still pondering on this bizarre situation, Hidan took the chance to finish smashing the hardened ash that kept him in place before staring at the teenagers again. ''I told you already, dumbasses. I'm immortal.''

Now both Naruto and Kurotsuchi were starting to believe the words of the man that previously just seemed like crazy ramblings. They both shivered at the thought of the truth behind the words of Hidan. If he was really immortal how were they supposed to ever win this fight? How did you beat someone that wouldn't stay down?

The scared looks on their faces told Hidan that they were finally realizing the magnitude of the trouble they were in and he couldn't help but laugh darkly. ''Now you see how hopeless this fight is for you. And unfortunately for you now I'm done playing games.'' Said Hidan as he grabbed the handle of the still stuck blade in his heart and pulled it out slowly as he made blood pour out of the wound freely, which made the teenagers feel sick at the sight. ''Damn it, it hurts!'' When he finally finished getting the blade out of his body he used the blood pooled bellow him to draw with his feet some kind of circle with a triangle inside. ''I'll finish you off first, bitch. We only need the Jinchuuriki alive so first I'll savor your suffering before you die. Jashin-Sama will be most pleased.''

''About time you stopped fooling around. Finish with this so we can get going.'' Said Kakuzu from the sidelines.

''Like hell we'll let you!'' Yelled Naruto in defiance. ''Come on, Kurotsuchi'' He then started running towards the sadistic man.

''Y-yea!'' Kurotsuchi snapped out of her creeped out state and joined the Jinchuuriki.

Hidan saw them charge at him but he didn't care. He just smiled and licked the blood of one of the blades of his scythe, and after doing so his skin turned black and a skeleton-like pattern of white markings appeared around his body. ''Hahahaha! You are now under my curse. Let me taste your agony!'' He then grabbed Kurotsuchi's blade and impaled himself in the stomach with it. ''It feels so good!'' Yelled the crazed man with a face of mad delight.

Naruto was puzzled at the man's action. Of all the things he expected the man to do he didn't expect that he was going to stab himself. '' _What is he doing? I know he is immortal but I don't see the purpose of that.''_ His thoughts were interrupted and he stopped running when he noticed the Kunoichi beside him suddenly halt her charge. ''Kurotsuchi? What's wrong, Kurotsuchi?'' He asked with concern.

The pink-eyed girl had a look of panic and agony on her features as she held her stomach tightly. Her shirt was starting to get stained with blood at an alarming rate. She tried to cry in pain but only managed to cough blood as she fell to her knees.

''Kurotsuchi!'' Said Naruto with urgency and rushed to her side to help her and hopefully discover what was happening. ''Hang in there! What happened?!'' Questioned the blond with a concern that marred his face.

The girl barely heard Naruto, the pain was just too much to bear. She continued to squirm on the floor trying to stand up, but she couldn't gather the strength.

''Hahahaha!'' The maniac laugh of Hidan caught the attention of Naruto once again and earned him a hateful glare.

''This must be your doing. What did you do to her?!'' Demanded the Genin.

''She has been judged by God!'' Said the man with glee. ''Experiencing the pain of someone else's slow death is nothing short of ecstasy!'' Added the man before grabbing the blade's handle once more before violently stirring it from side to side inside of him.

''Ahhhhhhh!'' The girl's cries of pain were so loud that it even hurt Naruto's ears as she continued to convulse in agony, yelling all the while.

Naruto was enraged, not only were these bastards hunting him down relentlessly but now this monster was torturing someone right in front of him! He could feel a bit of his control over the fox slipping and could sense a single tail of Chakra starting to form itself along with the rest of his Chakra cloak. ''I'll make you regret this!'' Yelled Naruto intimidatingly as he got on all fours, ready to attack.

''And tell me how do you plan on doing that, eh?'' Said the Jashinist cockily. ''Attack me and you will only be killing your friend right there!''

Naruto widened his eyes in realization. It was true! Trying to kill Hidan was useless as he was immortal and would only serve to harm Kurotsuchi further. And if he tried to restrain him then it was likely that he would just finish the job to continue the fight. For all accounts, Kurotsuchi was his hostage. He growled with impotency, trying to think of something to get them both out of this mess.

''That's right! There is nothing you can do but watch the bitch die!'' Taunted Hidan before cackling in laughter maniacally once again. ''Well then, shall we continue?'' Added the man before using the still embed blade to pry open the wound on his stomach.

''Aaahhhhhhh!'' The girl's scream resonated trough the clearing and just got louder and louder as the crazy man pried his wound more and more until finally the blade couldn't move anymore, but just when it seemed that Hidan was going to stop, he grabbed the handle with all his might and pried so hard that the blade split into two parts. ''Ahhhhhh...'' That last tug caused so much pain to the girl that she mercifully passed out from it.

''Ahahahaha! Look at the snarky bitch! What is it, eh?! Not so tough anymore, are you?!'' Yelled Hidan in a denigrating way.

Naruto had his eyes closed as he grinded his teeth with impotency and dug his claws further into the ground. He wanted so badly to go check on Kurotsuchi and check her pulse or something, but he was still using his Chakra cloak and it was dangerous to the touch. Kurotsuchi was in terrible shape as it was, the last thing she needed was some Chakra poisoning.

''Now is your turn Kyuubi'' Said Hidan as he threw one-half of the now broken sword and buried the other through his skin until it came out from the other said and fell to the ground, an action that made Naruto shiver knowing that the girl still had to feel it despite being unconscious. ''I hope that you have more of a fight in you than she did. Which you should, considering that I'm not allowed to kill you, but you can bet that I'll make you suffer to the border of madness.'' Said the man cruelly.

''Doton: Yomi Numa! (Earth Release: Swamp of The Underworld)''

Before Hidan could do anything, the ground below him started changing until it became muddy and had the consistency of quicksand and his circle of blood was erased because of this. ''W-what?! Not again! What is this crap?!'' Yelled the altered Hidan.

Then out of the woods came Kakashi along with one shadow clone, they each had a Raikiri (Lightning Cutter) in opposite hands that were connected with a chain of lightning and swiftly beheaded the silver haired man when the lightning chain sliced through his neck. This sudden intrusion caused both Naruto and Kakuzu to stare in surprise.

''Kakashi-Sensei?!'' Said Naruto, both confused and relieved to see the cyclops again.

Soon after, Jiraiya also appeared beside Kakashi. ''Are you okay, Naruto!?'' Asked the worried Sannin.

''You are here too, Ero-Sennin?!'' Yelled an ecstatic Naruto. How glad was he to see both of his teachers here to help. Feeling more secure now, he let the Kyuubi's Chakra dissipate. Now he realized that the swamp Jutsu was the Sannin's doing.

''Naruto!'' ''Naruto-Kun!'' Then after a few moments, Sakura and team eight arrived at the clearing too.

''You guys are here too!'' Exclaimed Naruto.

''You seem to be a bit taller since the last time I saw you.'' Said Kiba with a feral grin.

''I can say the same for you guys. Especially Akamaru'' Replied Naruto happily and the large dog licked his face in greeting.

''I'm so glad that you are Okay, Naruto-Kun'' Said the meek Hinata, clearly having trouble keeping eye contact with the blond.

''I'm glad to see you too, Hinata. I thought I was done for to tell you the truth.'' Said Naruto sheepishly and putting a hand behind his head.

''You should be more careful, you idiot! Why is it that you always end up getting in trouble?! We have been looking for you all over the damn place, you ingrate!'' Scolded Sakura as she gave the blond a punch in the head.

''I'm sorry, Sakura-chan. I didn't mean to make you guys worried.'' Said the blond while rubbing his head. He had missed Sakura, even her punches (kinda).

''The important thing is that we are on time.'' Said Shino, grabbing Naruto's attention.

''Thanks a lot to you too!...emmm...'' Said Naruto awkwardly, trying to recognize the Aburame.

''Shino...'' Said the stoic teen, clearly annoyed at not being recognized. ''I can't believe you don't recognize one of your comrades''

''Shino, of course! Hey, don't be like that. how am I supposed to recognize you if you are always covered from head to toe?!'' Said the blond trying to explain himself but it did little to cheer Shino up.

''You guys can catch up later, right now we have someone to take care of.'' Reminded them Kakashi, putting himself in front of them along with Jiraiya.

Now that made everyone shut up and cautiously stared at the remaining Akatsuki member, who had used their small talk as an opportunity to get close to his fallen comrade. And now he was standing beside the body of Hidan with his partner's head already in one hand.

''Hey, Kakuzu! What are you waiting for!? Put me back in my body, you prick!'' Hidan's head continued to keep talking, even against all reason that it simply wasn't possible for that to be the case.

''What the fuck! That guy's head talked!'' Exclaimed Kiba, horrified.

''So creepy'' Whispered a scared Hinata.

''So disgusting, you mean!'' Said Sakura with revulsion.

''Be careful, everyone! That guy is immortal! And I'm still not sure what the other guy does!'' Shouted Naruto in warning to his friends.

''That's the Akatsuki for you.'' Said Kakashi with a serious face as he stared at the duo with his Sharingan uncovered and all.

Kakuzu calmly evaluated his options, and he clearly saw that this was an unfavorable fight for him. Fighting Jiraiya of the Sannin was dangerous enough, even more so now that Hidan was useless in his current state. And that without taking into account the copy ninja, Kakashi. And they had reinforcements to booth. They were just brats but they were still the support for two skilled shinobi, and one of them was a Jinchuuriki. So as much as he hated letting go of the chance to collect the bounty on Jiraiya and Kakashi, he decided that the best course of action was to retreat. He then quickly grabbed the body of Hidan by the ankle and made a run for it through the trees, not caring at all if the body kept bumping into branches along the way.

''Hey, be a little more delicate, you dumbass!'' Yelled Hidan in indignation at the rough treatment of his body.

''Shut up, don't be such a crybaby.'' Said Kakuzu uncaringly. Right now his only concern was to get away.

The Konoha team were surprised to see the Akatsuki fleeing, but Jiraiya and Kakashi weren't gonna let them. This was the perfect chance to take out two members of Akatsuki and lower the organization's might.

''All of you, let's give chase to those bastards!'' Ordered Jiraiya to the rest of the Konoha ninja.

''Wait, Ero-Sennin!'' Said Naruto as he put himself in the path of the Sannin to keep him from leaving.

''What are you doing, you idiot?! You are gonna let them get away! This is our chance to take the fight to the Akatsuki instead of waiting for them!'' Said Jiraiya in irritation.

The rest of Naruto's friends looked at Naruto in disbelief.

''Yea man, what is your deal?!'' Said Kiba angrily and Akamaru barked to voice his concern too.

''Stop making us waste time, Naruto!'' Yelled Sakura with a raised fist.

''B-but We have to help Kurotsuchi! She is badly injured!'' Responded Naruto with urgency and pointed at the downed Iwa girl. In his excitement at seeing his friends again, he had momentarily forgotten the state that the Iwa Kunoichi was in.

They all looked at the girl for a moment and they could see that she was in a terrible condition, even at a glance it could be noted. But they soon stopped paying the girl any mind and turned to Naruto again.

''She isn't our concern, kid! We can't let the Akatsuki get away!'' Yelled Jiraiya in an effort to see his student see reason.

''But if we don't do something she will definitely die!'' Insisted the Jinchuuriki.

''Then good riddance.'' Said Kiba, coldly. ''The Iwa assholes were the ones that got you into this mess, didn't they? I don't see why we should even care.''

''You bastard!'' Said Naruto as he grabbed Kiba by the front of his jacket and pulled him close to him in a threatening manner.

''What is wrong with you, Dude!? Let go of me!'' Yelled Kiba angrily and shoved Naruto back.

''That's enough, Naruto.'' Said Kakashi sternly. ''I'm sorry that we can't help the girl. It's lamentable, but she is not a priority.'' tried to explain the Sharingan user.

And with that, everyone save Naruto turned away to the direction the duo had run off to and prepared to give chase but not without first giving Naruto odd looks. Hinata was the only one who seemed reluctant to ignore Naruto's request, but if she was honest with herself she also didn't see why they should try to save someone that was in part responsible for almost getting Naruto killed, but she also knew that Naruto was a very forgiving person and his good heart was one of his biggest strengths and one of the things she admired the most about the blond, but she also knew that while in a mission she needed to follow their leader's orders above all, and with remorse so she too joined the others.

Naruto was starting to get desperate. His friends weren't gonna help Kurotsuchi, and without assistance, she would certainly die. Even if he couldn't say she was a friend, he still didn't feel good about abandoning her, not after getting to know her a bit and realizing that she wasn't a bad person. He glanced at the still body of the girl that was laying in a pool of her own blood and he closed his hands into fists. '' _No! I refuse to let her die, I have to keep trying!''_ Resolved the Genin. There had to be something he could do to convince everyone to help before they left, but what? He then widened his eyes as an idea come to him. He wasn't sure if it would work but it was worth a shot.

Everyone was about to leave when they heard Naruto Shout. ''She is the Tsuchikage's granddaughter!'' That made everyone turn to look at him with a different range of expressions. Kakashi and Jiraiya were astonished, as was Sakura; Hinata seemed concerned, Kiba didn't seem to care and Shino didn't show any emotion at all.

''What?! Is that true, Naruto?!'' Asked an astonished Kakashi. _''I knew that was the name of Ohnoki's granddaughter, but I didn't expect that she would be the same girl.''_ thought the silver haired man.

''Is true. She is the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and I heard she is a possible candidate for Tsuchikage in the future.'' Said Naruto, trying to remember all those important details about Kurotsuchi.

''Gee, so she is related to Iwa's Kage. Big deal.'' Said Kiba dismissively.

''You are an idiot, Kiba!'' Said Sakura. Which made Kiba wince. ''Direct relatives of a Kage are heavily respected in their village, even more so if they could become a candidate for the job in the future!''

''Jiraiya-Sama, I think it would be wise to consider Naruto's request. Especially in light of current events.'' Said Kakashi seriously.

Jiraiya knew to what the copy ninja was getting at. After the stunt that Iwa tried to pull against him and Naruto, there was no doubt that some nasty political repercussions were in the immediate future, and getting as much leverage against Iwa was high priority and having the Tsuchikage's granddaughter in their custody was one of the best they could get as far as leverages went. It was a hard choice between this and chasing the Akatsuki, but aside from the tactical advantage, he had a feeling that Naruto wouldn't forgive them if they didn't at least try to help the girl. ''Fine, we'll see what we can do for her.'' Said the Sannin reluctantly as he crossed his arms.

Naruto grinned gratefully and gave a sigh of relief. ''Thank you, Ero-Sennin!''

''Sakura, if you would, please.'' Said Kakashi.

''Y-yes'' Agreed the pinkette and approached the wounded girl and she didn't like what she saw. Kurotsuchi was laying face up on the ground which made it easy to see the damage done, and as far as Sakura could see it wasn't good. So the first thing she did was to check the pulse and she could feel a faint one, which meant that the girl was alive but in a critical state. She could see the terrible gaping wound on the girl's stomach and quickly got to work, for if she took longer she wasn't sure if she could manage to save her. Her palms glowed green with medical Chakra as she put them over the injury and Sakura noted that the wound would have been most likely fatal. In fact, if a skilled medic-nin hadn't taken a good look at it, she wouldn't have had a chance in hell of surviving. One of the first things to note was the large amount of blood the girl had lost, so Sakura quickly grabbed a Plasma Pill from her pouch and made the raven-haired girl swallow it before continuing to close the wound.

Everyone watched Sakura intently, wondering if the medic could manage to save the Iwa Kunoichi. Naruto seemed to be the most worried, as he didn't know the current level of Sakura's medical Jutsu, so he couldn't know how good she was and if she could save Kurotsuchi.

After a few minutes of work, Sakura finally finished with a tired sigh and everyone was eager to know her diagnosis.

''Sakura-Chan, How did it go?'' Asked Naruto in without a second thought. His question grabbed everyone's attention and they focused it on Sakura.

Sakura sighed, she was a little self-conscious of all the stares directed to her but she still kept a professional attitude. ''I managed to stabilize her for the moment. But she is in a very delicate condition and will need to be closely monitored in a hospital if we don't want to risk worsening her injury.''

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief while everyone else simply nodded.

''Well, we'll just have to take her with us.'' Said Kakashi, which earned him surprised faces from everyone else except for Jiraiya who had already guessed that taking her was the best course of action.

''What a minute! Take her with us?! Are you serious?!'' Asked Kiba astonished.

''Is it wise to do that, Kakashi-Sensei?!'' Asked Shino with a raised eyebrow, but other than that the calm Aburame didn't express anything else.

''Can't we, I dunno, take her to Iwa or something?!'' Asked Naruto in worry.

''You all heard Sakura. She needs close medical attention and a hospital. And no, Naruto, we aren't dragging her with us across half the continent just to get her to a nation that hates our guts. They would probably try to finish the job they failed once they see you.'' Explained Jiraiya and he gave a look to Naruto as if the blond was an idiot.

Naruto knew it was a stupid question, but taking the girl to Konoha wasn't also something he considered good. He wasn't as stupid as everyone else thought he was, he knew that even if they took the girl to a hospital in Konoha, she was still from a rival nation that just tried to take Konoha's Jinchuuriki and kill a Sannin, and she had participated to boot! So once the girl put food in Konoha she would become a prisoner through and through. But Naruto couldn't think of any excuse to not take her to Konoha, as they certainly weren't gonna take her to Iwa there was no other choice if they were to keep her alive.

''So is Decided, we are taking her back with us.'' Informed Kakashi to the rest of the group before picking her up gently and carrying her bridal style.

As weird as it was to bring the girl back, the rest of the Chunin didn't think that much of it and just accepted their leader's decision.

With Naruto safe and sound, they could count their mission as a success, and so they all proceeded to start their journey back to the Land of Fire with the strangest of guests with them. Now the only worry in the Sannin and Kakashi's heads was the impending political fallout with Iwa. As Naruto had been found, now the main priority would shift from finding him to making Iwa answer for their attempt on the blond. Now all that was left was to wait and hear what Tsunade would decide to do.

 **Author's note: Here you go guys, the next chapter! Even though I had the chapter finished since the last update I at least wanted to finish chapter 11 before I spellchecked this one. However, since I was taking longer than I anticipated, I thought that I should post this one first. And as another plus, I'm about halfway through the next chapter, so I hope I can finish it in the weekend. As always, please review if you have the time and I'll see you guys next time!**


	11. Chapter 11: Bittersweet Homecoming

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 11: Bittersweet Homecoming

-Gates of Konohagakure no Sato-

The sun shined brightly upon Konoha and it's inhabitants. The afternoon was one of the busiest times of the day in the great village, but despite that, Konoha always had an air of calmness and tranquility and together with its green scenery it was easy to find yourself a quiet spot to lay down and look at the clouds pass you by. Which was exactly what one Nara Shikamaru had in mind to do as soon as he reported back to the Hokage. Shikamaru's team had taken a small escort mission to a nearby town and was just getting back to the village along with his teammates: Akimichi Chouji and Yamanaka Ino, which all together were known as Team Ten and the second coming of the Ino-Chika-Chou trio.

Shikamaru had shoulder-length black hair that he kept up in a spiky ponytail and his eyes were black in color. In terms of attire, he used the standard Konoha green and gray uniform with flak jacket. ''I can't wait to give our briefing of this mission and be done with it. Honestly, I don't know why we always end up escorting to nearby villages. The road isn't even that dangerous, I'm sure they don't need a full team of Chunin and we ended up losing the whole day on the trip. Such a drag really.'' Complained the lazy genius.

''I personally find that is a good thing that at least you get to move your lazy ass for a change.'' Said Ino with a frown, reprimanding her teammate for his usual dull mannerisms. Ino was a fair skinned girl with green eyes and long platinum blond hair that she kept in a high ponytail with bangs covering the right side of her face. She wore a purple colored sleeveless top with matching skirt which left her stomach bare and had mesh warmers on her elbows and knees. ''Honestly, I think you are just mad that Temari-san is in the village and you are out here instead of spending time with her.'' Teased the Yamanaka with a sly smirk.

Shikamaru's face got red in embarrassment and looked away from the girl to mask it. ''Don't be ridiculous, woman. I just feel like spending my day looking calmly at the clouds it's all.''

''Sure you are, sure you are.'' Replied Ino with a knowing smile.

''Well, there in no need to dwell on it much longer, is it? We're almost in the village.'' Said the Akimichi while munching on a bag of chips. Chouji was rather large and husky. He had spiky brown hair that reached his waist and had red swirls on his cheeks. He wore a red suit with metal armor on the front of his torso with the Kanji for ''Food''. He had metal platings on his arms and legs and his forehead protector was red.

As Chouji had said, they were already in the village gates, which were guarded by two Chunin named Izumo and Kotetsu, and after spotting the approaching team, both Chunin waved at them in greeting.

''Hey if it isn't Team Ten. How are you guys doing?'' Asked Izumo. He was a fair-skinned man with spiky brown hair that covered his right eye. He used the standard Konoha uniform with the only small alteration being that he used his forehead protector as a bandana.

''Just finishing up some escorting mission. Nothing special really, they feel more like chores than anything.'' Said Shikamaru with a tired sigh.

''I don't think is that bad, Shikamaru. I would rather be doing this kind of stuff than the really dangerous missions, you know.'' Said Chouji while still eating his chips.

''I know what you mean Chouji. I'm always saying the same thing to this guy.'' Said Izumo while pointing at Kotetsu with his thumb. ''He is always complaining about guarding the gate or helping the Godaime with her paperwork, but I tell him that is better to be here than on the field. Plus, this job is still important.''

''I know that, man. But you can't blame a guy for getting bored by doing the same menial tasks over and over.'' Said Kotetsu. He was a man with spiky black hair and dark eyes. He had a strip of bandage running across his nose and had a marking of a vertical black stripe on his chin. Like Izumo, he was also wearing the standard Konoha uniform. ''I just wish that something interesting would happen once in a while.''

Then the conversation was cut short when Kakashi appeared running out of the woods. He was in a rush and he seemed to be carrying someone. They all were surprised to see to copy ninja in such a hurry and raised a questioning eyebrow.

''Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked Chouji in surprise.

''Hey Kakashi-Senpai, what's the...Ahh.'' Kotetsu tried to ask the copy ninja but was interrupted when he just passed him by through the gates in a rush.

''I'm sorry guys, I don't have time to explain.'' Yelled Kakashi in the distance at the group.

''I wonder what has Kakashi-Sensei all worked up.'' Said Ino in wonder as she and the rest stared in the direction the Sharingan user ran off to.

''Izumo, was it my imagination or Kakashi-senpai was carrying an Iwa Shinobi?'' Asked Kotetsu to his friend with a puzzled expression.

''I saw it too. What's up with that?'' Answered the equally confused Izumo.

''Is a long story.'' Said a voice behind the group.

Izumo, Kotetsu, and Team Ten turned around to find Jiraiya, and just behind him were arriving Team Seven along with team Eight.

''Jiraiya-Sama, you are back!'' Said Kotetsu in surprise.

''And you found Naruto too! What a relief. I heard he went missing.'' Replied Izumo with a smile before turning to the approaching blond. ''Is good to see you in one piece, kid.''

''Naruto, are you ok!?'' Asked Ino as she hurried to Naruto with Shikamaru and Chouji behind her.

''We heard from Asuma-Sensei that you were captured. Is it true?'' Asked Chouji with concern, for once forgetting about his bag of chips.

Naruto put a hand behind his head and gave a nervous smirk as he squinted his eyes. ''Is true that I got into some problems, but everything turned out okay in the end. I'm sorry about worrying you guys.''

''I believe you can thank me and Akamaru for our superb performance in finding this doofus. We were the ones to find his trail first.'' Boasted Kiba with Akamaru soon joining with his barks.

''You weren't the only one giving it his all, you know!'' Said Sakura in indignation.

''I do believe it was a team effort, Kiba.'' The Aburame agreed with the pinkette.

''Please everyone, that doesn't matter right now. Instead, we all should be glad that Naruto-Kun is safe.'' Said Hinata meekly.

''Hinata is right. What's important is that Naruto is okay. But try to not get into such troublesome situations in the future.'' Said Shikamaru to Naruto.

''Right, I'll try not to.'' Said Naruto with a smile. ''But more importantly, I'm glad to see you guys! It's been a long time since I last saw you!'' Replied the Jinchuuriki with excitement.

''You certainly have grown, Naruto.'' Said Chouji amicably.

''Yea, you don't resemble a runt now, at least.'' Said Ino in a slight tease.

''Hey, I never did!'' Replied an upset Naruto to his fellow blonde.

''I'm sorry to interrupt you brat, but we have to report to Tsunade as soon as we can. She is probably worried sick about you. You can catch up with you friends afterward.'' Said the Sannin to his apprentice.

''You are right, Ero-Sennin!'' Said Naruto with urgency. For a moment seeing his friends made him forget about that. Besides, he still needed to check what was going to happen to Kurotsuchi.

''You can go and rest, you earned it. I'll handle the report.'' Said Jiraiya to Team Eight, who just nodded in understanding. ''The same goes for you, pinky.'' Said the man while addressing Sakura, who got a vein mark on her forehead in anger for being called 'pinky'.

''Gotta go, I'll see you guys later.'' Said Naruto to his friends with a wave of his arm as he started walking away with Jiraiya in a hurry.

Now that they were gone, Ino turned to Sakura with a grin.

''Okay, forehead, tell us in detail what happened on your mission. It can't have been so easy to track Naruto all over the elemental nations. And what's the deal with that Iwa ninja that Kakashi-Sensei was carrying?'' Asked Ino. If there was one thing that the Yamanaka loved was to gossip.

''Yea, I would like to know too. If you guys don't mind telling that is.'' Said Chouji curiously.

Even Shikamaru was paying attention. He normally didn't want to indulge in gossip but this time, he couldn't deny that he too was curious to know more about it.

Sakura sighed with weariness. The trip had been tiresome and she had to constantly keep an eye on the Iwa Kunoichi all the way through, but she did, in fact, want to share what she knew as she was interested to know her friend's thoughts on the matter. ''Well, it is a long story as Jiraiya-Sama said, but what happened was...

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade was restless as she filled her paperwork as best as she could. ever since she knew of Naruto going missing she had been too worried about the blond idiot and her mind was constantly drifting to worry about the boy's safety. So imagine her surprise when the door opened ad said blond Jinchuuriki rushed into her office.

''What is it this...Naruto!'' Said the Hokage, going from frustrated to astonished when she realized who had entered.

''Hey Tsunade-Baachan I'm b-hmmmp!'' Naruto's sentence was interrupted when Tsunade got up so fast to envelop him in a hug that he didn't even see her move.

''you moron! You almost gave me a heart attack when I heard you went missing.'' Said Tsunade trying to sound angry, but her actions and the relieved smirk on her face showed her true feelings.

''I can't breathe, Tsunade-Baachan!'' managed to say Naruto as he was being crushed in the woman's powerful embrace.

Tsunade realized what she was doing and quickly let go of the Jinchuuriki, which proceeded to catch his breath now that he could inhale again. ''Sorry about that, brat. I was just worried about you, that's all.''

''And sorry about that, Tsunade-Baachan. I didn't mean to make so many people worried.'' Said Naruto apologetically.

''Is not your fault, Naruto. That was Iwa's fault, as well as Jiraiya's. The pervert was supposed to protect you and the idiot takes you to the Land of lightning which is too far away from our protection. And speaking of which, where is the old pervert?'' Asked Tsunade glancing around.

''Here I am, Hime.''

Both Tsunade and Naruto turned around to see Jiraiya sitting of the office's window.

''The idiot just couldn't wait to come here, so he went on ahead.'' Explained Jiraiya.

''Tsunade-Sama, I heard you yell, is everything alright?'' Said Shizune as she entered the Hokage's office too. ''Naruto-Kun!'' Shouted the raven haired girl with enthusiasm at seeing her brother figure safe and sound, before also hugging the boy.

''Is good to see you too, Nee-Chan.''Said Naruto with a warm smile.

after a few moments, Shizune stopped her embrace to look him over with concern. ''You are alright, aren't you? No injuries? Because just say the word and I can treat them for you.''

''I'm fine nee-chan, really. It takes more than a few Iwa Shinobi to take down Uzumaki Naruto.'' Replied the blond cheerfully.

''I'm glad to hear it.'' Said Shizune happily. ''And my gosh! You really have grown, you are taller than me now!''

''It's true, now you don't look like a snot nosed brat anymore. Not that much, anyway.'' Said Tsunade with a smirk.

''Why everyone keeps saying that! I didn't look like a snot nosed brat!'' Said Naruto in indignation which only caused everyone else in the room to laugh at his antics.

''And not only that, but his skills have grown just as much, too.'' Said Jiraiya proudly.

''Is that so? Then we may have to test him soon to see if that claim holds water.'' Replied Tsunade.

''No problem, I can handle anyone now! Bring it on!'' Said Naruto with confidence.

However, their little chat was interrupted when someone else entered the room, and everyone turned to look at Kakashi.

''Hi everyone. I see that Naruto is already catching up with Tsunade-Sama. I hope I'm not interrupting by the way.'' Said The copy ninja with his trademark eye-smile.

''Not at all.'' Said Tsunade.

''What about our guest?'' Asked Jiraiya sternly.

''That's right! How is Kurotsuchi, is she okay?!'' Asked Naruto with concern.

Tsunade and Shizune raised an eyebrow in confusion. '' _Kurotsuchi? Guest? who are they talking about?''_

''She is safe, Naruto. I took her to the hospital and it seems that Sakura was right. They told me that she will need to be kept under watch to see if she recovers properly. And that is after they confirm if she needs further treatment.'' Explained the cyclops. ''Of course, the medics were a bit reserved about having her there, but I assured them that she was sedated and as long as they keep her that way there should be no trouble.'' finished the Sharingan user.

''I see.'' Said Jiraiya plainly while Naruto just nodded both satisfied and relieved.

''Wait a minute! Someone explain to me what are you guys talking about?'' commanded the Hokage and Shizune nodded in agreement with her master.

Jiraiya and Kakashi shared a worried look between themselves before turning to Tsunade again.

Naruto was just about to speak when Jiraiya grabbed him and covered his mouth with a hand to keep the blond from running his mouth before they could properly relay the situation.

''Hokage-Sama, first I think you ought to know what happened. In our mission when we finally found Naruto he was engaged in combat with two Akatsuki members.'' Said Kakashi.

Tsunade and Shizune widened their eyes at the information. Fighting two Akatsuki members!?

''Two of them at the same time?!'' Exclaimed Tsunade as she looked at the Jinchuuriki who was still struggling to free himself from Jiraiya's hold.

''What happened to them?! Did you guys beat them?'' Asked Shizune with worry.

''I'll get to that in a moment. As I was saying, when we found him, me and Jiraiya-Sama quickly worked together to take down one of the members by cutting off his head.'' Kakashi continued to explain.

''So you did manage to get one of them!'' Exclaimed Shizune with relief.

''Not exactly.'' Replied Jiraiya, with a still angry Naruto in his grip. ''turns out the guy was immortal. His head kept talking by itself, it was truly-Ow! don't bite, you idiot!'' Yelled Jiraiya as he brought down his other fist on top of the blond's head.

''How is that even possible?'' Said Shizune, baffled.

''I knew the Akatsuki were dangerous but immortal? The Akatsuki are much more dangerous than we imagined.'' Said Tsunade thoughtfully.

''When they saw us arrive, the other member grabbed his fallen comrade and made a run for it. They probably felt that the battle odds had turned against them with our arrival.'' Explained Kakashi.

''If that was the case then you should have gone after them! If even they thought that they were at a disadvantage then you could have eliminated them then and there!'' Berated their leader.

''That was the idea, and we were just about to, but...'' Trailed off Jiraiya.

''But?'' Repeated Tsunade inquisitively.

''There was someone else in there, an Iwa Kunoichi that previously was in the squad sent to capture Naruto. She was passed out and gravely injured. Naruto vehemently insisted that we should help her, and in the end, we had to let go the Akatsuki to do as such.'' Reported Kakashi.

Tsunade wasn't happy at hearing that, however. ''What were you guys thinking in Letting two members of Akatsuki escape?! I know that Naruto likes to be merciful with his enemies, but you two should know better!'' Said Tsunade in anger which made the males recoil in fear.

''Tsunade-Sama is right, how could you do something like that? especially to help one of the people responsible for almost killing Naruto and Jiraiya-Sama!'' Said Shizune in agreement, which surprised everyone. It was rare to see the usually good-natured Shizune so angry.

''But Hime, she isn't just any Kunoichi, she is Ohnoki's granddaughter.'' Jiraiya explained himself in hopes to appease the angry woman.

''No way... Ohnoki's granddaughter? Are you certain of this?!'' Asked Tsunade in amazement.

''Why was someone like that in that place?'' Asked Shizune just as amazed as the Hokage.

''Beats me. You'll have to ask Naruto for that.'' Replied Jiraiya, still holding said boy.

''You can talk now, Naruto.'' Requested Tsunade to the Jinchuuriki.

At Tsunade's order, Jiraiya finally released Naruto and the Jinchuuriki proceeded to shoot a glare at the toad Sannin before turning to the Hokage. ''Tsunade-Baachan, I'm telling you, Kurotsuchi isn't a bad person, in fact, she was helping me fight the Akatsuki!'' Said Naruto in the girl's defense.

''She was most likely helping herself, kid.'' Commented Jiraiya.

''You don't know that, Ero-Sennin! I got to know her for a bit, and I know she isn't bad!'' Argued a miffed Naruto. ''We traveled together for a while and made a truce, Then we helped some people in need, and then we were gonna go our separate ways when...''

''Brat, that's enough!'' Shouted Tsunade and Naruto stopped his explanation.

''I don't care about any of that, Naruto.'' Said Tsunade with a straight serious face. ''I only want to know one thing: How did she end up with you? And I only want you to tell me that one thing and nothing else.''

Naruto got silent and answered with resignation, knowing that there was nothing he could say now that didn't make the girl look bad. ''She was the one who kidnapped me.'' Finished a depressed Naruto.

A needle falling could have been heard in the room with how quiet it got, and after a moment of everyone waiting for a verdict, Tsunade finally spoke.

''I see. Kakashi, I want you to go to the hospital and tell them to send the girl to one of our cells in our T&I division. She will stay there until we come to a verdict on how we will deal with Iwa as the girl may play a part in the future.'' Declared the Hokage with finality much to Naruto's disappointment.

''At once, Hokage-Sama.'' Said Kakashi with a bow before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

''Tsunade-Baachan, this isn't right! She already hates us and this will only make it worse.'' Said Naruto insistently.

''Naruto, I don't give a crap about what she thinks of us. She is an enemy and will be treated as such.'' Replied the Hokage while rolling her eyes.

''Just cut it out, brat. Listen to Tsunade, you are talking nonsense!'' Jiraiya reprimanded his student.

''But me and her had already come to an understanding! We were about to go our separate ways when the Akatsuki attacked us! It isn't fair that she is our prisoner after we called a truce!'' Tried to explain the blond.

''Fair?! Fair would be to execute her right now! She was part of a mission that was ultimately going to result in your death! The only reason she is still alive is because she is worth more to us alive than dead!'' Yelled an irritated Tsunade.

''But it feels like I betrayed her trust!'' Complained the insistent Jinchuuriki.

''Enough!'' Tsunade finally snapped and brought her hand down on her desk with enough force to crack it. ''This issue isn't up for debate. At least not with you, Naruto! Tomorrow I'll have a gathering with the council. I'll bring the girl up with them and then we'll decide what to do with her. Jiraiya, please take Naruto somewhere else, eat some ramen or whatever. I just need to be alone to ponder on all this mess. And that's an order!''

The toad Sannin nodded obediently and put a hand on the Jinchuuriki's shoulder. ''Let's go, kid. We can talk about this later.''

the blond Genin frowned but nodded reluctantly as he let his teacher lead the way out of the office.

After both teacher and student left the room, Tsunade sank into her comfy chair and let out a big sigh to try and relieve some stress.

''Ufff, that could have gone better.'' Grumbled the blond woman.

''You can say that twice.'' Said Shizune. She could understand Naruto's frustration, but the boy could be very naive from time to time.

''Shizune, fetch me some sake. I really need a drink.'' Said the well-endowed woman to her protegee.

''Tsunade-Sama, you know that you shouldn't be drinking on the job!''Berated the raven beauty.

However, Tsunade's cold glare left no room for argument. Her mood and stress had made her lose her patience.

''B-But I suppose just one or two glasses won't hurt, hehe...'' Said Shizune nervously as she went for the exit.

''And make it snappy!'' Said the Hokage just as Shizune closed the door behind her. Now that she was finally left alone, Tsunade started massaging her temple with a deep sigh as she tried to fight down a familiar headache that a certain Jinchuuriki was so adept at causing her. '' _Yep, Naruto is back, alright._ ''

-Somewhere else in Konoha-

Kurotsuchi slowly opened her eyes and stared drowsily at the ceiling of the room she was in. Her vision was blurry and her body felt numb. Her stomach was very sore, and on top of that, she found difficult to focus her mind so she realized that she had to be under the effect of some drug. At that realization, coupled with the fact that she didn't know where she was, she started to thrash her legs and arms to try and stand herself, but she found that she was bound in some kind of straitjacket with weird seals on it. She continued like that for a few minutes until she decided that it was useless. So she opted for trying to clear her head. '' _Okay Kurotsuchi, think. How could I end up in...wherever this place is?''_ She was with the dumbass, and then the Akatsuki showed up, and that silver-haired fucker used some strange Jutsu and she passed out. But that didn't explain how she ended up in this place. Luckily, she was finally starting to recover her vision and now she could have a good look of the room.

The room wasn't very big, just barely big enough to fit the bed she was currently laying at, along with a toilet and sink on the opposite side of the room. She could see a single door with an open window with thick bars of steel preventing anyone from entering or exiting the room through there. Now Kurotsuchi realized in a panic that this place had to be a cell! This bit of knowledge made the girl start to squirm again to try and free herself from the straitjacket she was wearing.

''I would stop that if I were you.''

Kurotsuchi stopped her struggle and stared at the source of the voice. Said person was a man dressed in a nurse uniform. He was staring at her with a glare through the metal bars.

''If you keep doing that you'll just open your wound again. You needed a couple hours of surgery and more than a few plasma pills just to treat you and I would appreciate if you didn't let all that effort go to waste.'' Said the man with a stern voice.

Kurotsuchi glared at the man with hatred and bared her teeth in defiance. ''And who the fuck are you!? And what the hell is this place?!'' Demanded to know the Iwa Kunoichi.

''You are in Konoha, and from now on, you'll be our prisoner unless the Hokage says otherwise.'' Replied the man with severity.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock before quickly turning into anger. ''Is that so, uh? Don't you assholes know who I am?! If Iwa finds out that I'm here they are gonna turn your pathetic village into rubble!'' Shouted the girl while trying to stand and failing miserably to do it, as the sedatives hadn't completely left her system yet.

''Whatever you say.'' Said the man with a roll of his eyes. ''And by the way, you have a visitor, so you better behave.'' Added the man as he stood aside.

Kurotsuchi's glare momentarily receded at hearing that, wondering who could be visiting her in this place. But her glare came back full force once she saw a familiar face of a blond that took the man's place at the other side of the window.

''Ohh, if it isn't mister back-stabber himself.'' Said the tomboy through gritted teeth.

''Hey Kurotsuchi, How are you? Are your wounds.. emmm... feeling better?'' Asked Naruto lamely, a bit ashamed for not thinking of anything better to say in this situation.

Kurotsuchi's anger just grew at the blond's stupid words. ''How I am? Oh you know, just peachy... How do you think I'm doing, you traitorous cock-sucking bitch?!'' Yelled the enraged girl as she continued trying to stand by herself.

Naruto winced at the girls words, even if he knew that he did the best he could to save her life, he still felt guilty about the position the Iwa prodigy was in right now. ''I know you are angry and I'm sorry. But don't worry, I'll find a way to help you! I'm going to talk with Tsunade-Baachan again and...''

''Save your words, asshole!'' Interrupted the pink-eyed girl, and in her thrashing she fell off the bed and hit the floor hard, and she gave a loud yell when it caused a sharp pain in her still-healing wound.

''Are you okay, Kurotsuchi?!'' Asked Naruto with worry when he saw her fall painfully on her side.

Kurotsuchi just ignored him, however. ''Is my fault. I should have killed your ass as soon as we got out of the Land of Frost. I was a fool to even suggest a truce with you!'' Yelled the girl from her place on the floor. ''You best hope I never get out of here or I'll hunt you down like an animal, you hear me!?''

Upon hearing the commotion, the previous man came back in a rush to check what was going on. ''I'm sorry, boy. But I'm afraid you'll have to leave. You are distressing the prisoner.''

''But...'' Said Naruto reluctantly, but he accepted that is was best to just comply, since Kurotsuchi just kept yelling on the floor, in both pain and rage with no sign of stopping anytime soon. ''Okay, I'll be going. Sorry to have disturbed you.'' Said the blond as he turned to leave.

''I swear I'm gonna make you pay for this, Naruto!'' that was the last thing Naruto heard as he was leaving the place with a heavy heart.

Once Naruto exited the T&I building, outside he found Jiraiya leaned on a wall and patiently waiting for him.

''I'm guessing your little visit didn't go as you wanted.'' Said Jiraiya when he saw Naruto approach him with a sad look.

''I tried to explain myself, Ero-Sennin. But she didn't want to listen.'' Said Naruto somberly.

Jiraiya sighed at his student's downed mood. He didn't want to see Naruto beating himself up for the fate of an enemy that got what she deserved after attacking them. But if Naruto wanted to involve himself, he knew that he wouldn't be able to stop him. So the only thing left to do was to advise him as best he could. ''There is not much you could have done. Obviously, a few kind words won't make her feel better. To be honest, it probably sounds insulting for her considering is coming from a foe.'' Explained the sage.

''I know, but I at least wanted to let her know that I didn't wish for any of this to happen.'' Said the Genin as he looked at the floor, reminiscing of everything that happened to them in their travel.

''Anyway, we should get going. Tell you what, let's go to Ichiraku, my treat. What do you say?'' Offered the Sannin with a grin in an attempt to distract Naruto from his worries.

But instead, Naruto just kept looking at the floor with the same downed look, not reacting at all to the offer of free ramen, much to Jiraiya's surprise. ''Ero-Sennin...'' Started Naruto, and he slowly met Jiraiya's eyes with his own with a completely serious face, an action that completely startled the older man as it wasn't the typical behavior of the boy. ''Tell me what is going to happen to Kurotsuchi. Please be completely honest with me.'' Asked Naruto in a severe tone.

Jiraiya was taken aback by the Jinchuuriki's attitude. This way of acting was very unlike Naruto. But he resolved to honor the boy's request as it was obviously something that greatly concerned him. ''If you really want to know, I'll tell you. But I'm warning you that you aren't going to like it.'' Answered Jiraiya now completely serious himself.

Naruto just kept staring at Jiraiya and nodded his head with resolution. If it was something that he wouldn't like, then in his opinion, he deserved to know it even more.

Jiraiya sighed before he started explaining. ''At this point, anything could happen to her. Well, anything but good things for her anyway. She could be outright executed. She could be tortured for information, maybe even to death too. She could stay in that cell for life. She could even be...'' Jiraiya trailed off, not comfortable to say the last part.

''She could even be what?'' Insisted Naruto with the same serious face.

Jiraiya clicked his tongue before continuing. ''You remember what we talked that other time? About Kumo's attempt to capture Hinata?'' At his question, Naruto nodded and raised an eyebrow, wondering what that had to do with the topic at hand. ''Well, it is to our knowledge that the girl possesses a Kekei Genkai, the Yoton. We confirmed as much when we searched for her in the bingo book. So you remember how Kumo was going to use Hinata to produce her Byakugan in their village? Well, we could have a similar situation in here.'' Said Jiraiya with reservation.

Naruto stayed silent as he thought about what Jiraiya had said, and after a moment, he widened his eyes in disgust when it finally dawned on him what it meant. ''No, you can't mean...we wouldn't! There is no way we would do something like that! We aren't like Kumo or the other villages!'' Said Naruto alarmed.

Now even Jiraiya looked a bit sad when he conveyed the news to the blond. ''We are still a military power at heart, Naruto. Using her to breed the Yoton in Konoha is not out of the question.'' Honestly, the notion disgusted even Jiraiya, but that was how the world worked, and as much as he would like to think that Konoha was above such disgusting tactics he would be a fool to deny that they were capable of it, especially with guys like Danzo around.

Any appetite that Naruto could have had was now gone. ''I see...I'm sorry Ero-Sennin, but I'll have to pass on Ichiraku's. I think I'll better be getting back to my place.'' Replied Naruto with sadness as he turned to walk in the direction of his apartment.

Jiraiya watched silently with concern as Naruto walked away, but still, he still needed to say something to make him realize he couldn't save everyone. ''It would be better that you don't beat yourself over things you can't control, kid. The best thing you can do is to take this as an experience and learn from it.''

Naruto stopped momentarily to hear what Jiraiya had said, but after the message had been relayed he just resumed walking without saying another word.

Jiraiya looked on as Naruto left. After the blond had completely left his sight, he gave a repressed sigh. He hated seeing the boy like that but it was important that he realized sooner rather than later that he couldn't save everyone. But that didn't mean that he didn't feel bad to see the boy go through his struggles. After a moment, he too started walking away, wondering on what to occupy his time as he wasn't in the mood to be peeking on girls right now.

When Naruto finally arrived at his apartment, he stared around the place that had been his home through all his life. It had been a long time since he had been there, but instead of feeling happy to be back he just felt sadness over the fate of the Iwa Kunoichi. He took off his sandals and started walking down the hall to his room. After he entered his small room he took off his weapons pouch and sat on his bed. It was almost night time by this point but he didn't feel like sleeping. He continued to stare at nothing in particular for several minutes until the sun no longer entered through his window when all of a sudden he slammed his hand on the wall with a frustrated yell. ''Damn it!''

He couldn't stand the thought of the terrible fate that awaited Kurotsuchi. Compared to all the options available to the girl it was a saddening thought when a quick death seemed to be the more appealing of the bunch. He knew that Kurotsuchi wasn't a bad girl, sure she was rough around the edges and could be a bitch from time to time, but he had also seen some of her good side too. She was the most concerned of the two when Yuna-chan asked for their help, he could see the fondness she had for her family if the way her eyes lit up whenever she talked about her mother was any indication, and her love for her village was true and she would give it her all to protect her home just like Naruto would protect his. Also, she dreamed of being Tsuchikage just as he wanted to become Hokage. After thinking it through for a while, Naruto finally decided that he was gonna keep trying. He was going to talk to Tsunade again tomorrow and would convince her one way or another to give some lenience to Kurotsuchi. He wasn't known for giving up after all, and he wouldn't start now, not when someone's life depended on him.

 **Author's note: This chapter was oh so satisfying to write! I've had a lot of these scenes in my head since forever and it feels so good to finally put them into words. Seriously, a lot of scenes in this chapter I had already planned how they would develop since I first posted this story, I'm not kidding. I better start writing the next chapter as soon as I can because I have so many scenes that I planned since forever and I can't wait to finally share them with you guys! And as always, please give me your thoughts on the chapter (or the story in general) on a review if you have the chance. Anyway, I'll see you guys next time!**


	12. Chapter 12: Unusual Arrangements

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 12: Unusual Arrangements.

Naruto could see the sunshine starting to creep into his room, signaling that morning had already come and he could already hear the streets getting steadily busier with civilians and Shinobi alike who probably just woke up minutes earlier. But Naruto didn't sleep, his thoughts had been too plagued with worries for him to be able to. Today was the day that Tsunade would meet with the council and they would decide Kurotsuchi's fate, so he had tried to think of any arguments to bring to the Hokage to keep her from doing something terrible to the Iwa girl. He didn't know if all he came up with would be enough to save the girl, but he had to try. What were his other options? Let the girl rot in prison to receive her punishment, or he could bust her from jail. And neither one was a good option. Letting the girl live a fate worse than death wasn't something he would ever allow but if he busted her out he risked being labeled as a criminal by the council, and he wasn't even sure if he could pull off a prison break anyway, so that would be a last resort if talking to Tsunade didn't work.

He didn't know at what hour was the council meeting, so he didn't want to risk missing his chance. If he went after the council had already made their choice there would be nothing he could no anymore. So he opted for getting up from his bed to get a shower and some clean clothes before heading out.

After quickly grooming himself he left his apartment and started his walk to the Hokage tower. As he walked through the streets, people were finally starting to realize that Naruto was back and some of them started to glare at him with disdain. Even after all these years, there were still people who didn't trust him due to his Jinchuuriki status, but right now he didn't pay their stares any mind, as he had more pressing matters in his head at the moment. He just hoped to not screw this up, if he did, the only other thing he could do was help the girl flee, and trying to help a criminal escape when they were imprisoned in the middle of one of the great ninja villages was a high feat to accomplish.

Before he knew it, Naruto was already at the entrance of the Hokage tower, and after staring at the building with reservation for a moment, he gathered his usual perseverance and made his way inside. He went to the counter and the secretary at the front quickly let him pass as it was still early anyway, so the Hokage wasn't as busy as she usually was, so the process was quick and Naruto rapidly made his way to Tsunade's door. He lifted a hand to knock but stopped himself before he could do so. He sighed as he prepared himself mentally, for he knew that this time he really needed to do this with seriousness. This time, there would be no playing around, no loud complaints, or childish tantrums; no, if he acted like that it wouldn't help his case and in turn, it would be sealing Kurotsuchi's fate. So even if just for this once, he had to refrain from acting recklessly.

After a moment of silently making up his mind, he finally knocked the door of Tsunade's office. He just waited a couple of seconds before he heard the woman say ''enter.'' He stepped into the office and he saw Tsunade in her chair. It was obvious that she herself woke up not too long ago as he could still see small bags under her eyes and a cup of coffee beside her. Also, he noted that Shizune wasn't there yet.

''Naruto? I didn't expect to see you here at this hour.'' Said the busty woman in surprise. ''Don't tell me that in all the years you were away Jiraiya decided to be responsible for once and actually taught you to get up early?'' Joked the Hokage with a smirk before taking a sip from her cup of coffee. ''Anyway, what is it that you want, brat?''

''Tsunade-Baa...no, Hokage-Sama, I have an important request to make.'' Said Naruto with seriousness.

Tsunade was shocked to hear Naruto call her 'Hokage-Sama.' In all the time she had known the boy he had never referred to her in such a way, and as much as she always berated him for that she actually didn't mind too much as she considered him like something akin to family. Honestly, she found it weird and a bit eerie to see Naruto acting so formal. ''O-Okay. So tell me, what would that request be?''

''Before I make my request, first I want to talk to you a bit about Kurotsuchi.'' Replied Naruto with the same stoic face.

''This is about the girl again?'' Asked Tsunade with exasperation. ''Naruto, I'm sorry but we already discussed this, and my decision still stands.'' Said the Hokage firmly.

''Please I want you to hear me out first. Please Tsunade-Sama, just this once as a favor to me.'' Pleaded Naruto, but he was still keeping his calm.

Tsunade sighed with irritation, but for the boy to be asking that of her in such a manner it made it hard for her to ignore him, especially since it was Naruto. ''Fine, just this once. But try to make it quick, will you?''

This time, Naruto allowed himself to give a small smile to the woman. ''Thank you, Tsunade-Sama.'' The woman just waved him off and he nodded before continuing. ''I know that Kurotsuchi was the one who kidnapped me, that is a serious offense, I get it, but it isn't so simple. After I managed to free myself from her, we were forced to get along due to a number of different circumstances that I don't have time to discuss right now. But the point is, that even if we really didn't get along most of the time and we were always on the verge of attacking each other, we eventually managed to tolerate one another and we even worked together very well when the need arose.'' Explained Naruto and looked intently at Tsunade to see if she had anything to comment, when she didn't, she just signaled him to continue.

''But also I discovered that she was a good person at heart, but I won't lie and say she loves Konoha because she doesn't. But I want to try to help her put away her hate.'' Said the blond as he remembered how hate could make a person miserable, as Sasuke had shown him. ''She may be Tsuchikage in the future, and I think that helping her see that we aren't so bad is a good way to get rid of the enmity between our nations. I want to achieve a future where we can have peace, not just with Iwa but with every village. If we never try to do something about it, we will never achieve peace.'' Said the Jinchuuriki with resolution.

Tsunade's face was unreadable as she looked at Naruto, and after the boy paused momentarily she spoke again. ''I admire your ambition for a better future, kid. And I wish I could do something about it, but we can't just let Iwa have her back after what they did, and we can't let her loose in the village either.'' Explained the Hokage.

''I know, and that is why I'm gonna request that you let me watch over her while she is here in Konoha instead of keeping her locked.'' Said the blond in all seriousness.

Tsunade widened her eyes, dumbfounded at the unusual request. ''Naruto, that is way too dangerous. She could try to kill you first chance she gets. And besides, we don't know for how long she'll be here. If she ever leaves that is.''

''I don't care about how dangerous it might be, I know I can handle it. And even if she never leaves I will continue to keep an eye on her.'' Naruto hoped that she wouldn't actually stay there forever, but he had faith that things would not turn that way. Besides, if he became Hokage he could let her return to Iwa once he had a say in it.

''You knucklehead moron might not care about the danger but I do! And all your friends will too. '' Reprimanded the woman.

''I know that what I ask is a lot, but I give my word that I can handle it. Please, Tsunade-Sama I'm not taking this lightly. I'm fully committed to this.'' Said Naruto, and despite his intent to appear serious, Tsunade could see the desperation in his eyes.

''If I were to grant you this, things would be very difficult for you. Not only will you have the responsibility to look after the girl, but everyone else will have a hard time to accept her and that could cause tension between you and your friends. Also, you are not the most popular person among the civilians and it won't help their stance on you if they see you with an enemy ninja.'' Tsunade tried to reason with Naruto.

''I'm not afraid of hardships, and I'm already used to the unkind stares of everyone. I'm gonna make them change their mind about me someday anyway, even if they hate me now.'' Naruto persisted. ''I'm just asking for a chance, just one. I promise I won't fail you, and I never go back on my promises, that is my ninja way.'' Finished Naruto with his fist over his chest.

Now there were no doubts in Tsunade's head that Naruto was completely serious and would do everything within his power to keep his promise. She had seen before how much the boy could accomplish when he really put his heart and mind into a task and she suspected that he would use that same willpower this time. She put her elbows on her desk and rested her head on her hands with closed eyes as she went through everything in her head.

Naruto silently waited for Tsunade to speak, anxious to know what her answer would be.

After pondering on the issue for a few minutes, Tsunade gave a deep sigh. ''She will be under ANBU watch at all times and won't be allowed out of the village. You will be responsible for anything she does and should she in any way, shape, or form, hurt Konoha or any of its inhabitants she will be executed for the transgression.'' Said the woman with authority.

Naruto's face lit up at hearing the Hokage's words. ''So, that means...''

Tsunade nodded plainly in confirmation. ''Yes Naruto. That means that I will give you and the girl a chance.''

Naruto couldn't help but jump in celebration at the news. ''Alright! Thanks, Tsunade-Baachan you are the best!'' In his joy, he completely dropped his serious act.

''Don't make me regret this, brat; or I swear I'll make you regret it even more.'' Said Tsunade with a frown.

''You don't have to worry about a thing, Tsunade-Sama. I swear I'll have everything under control.'' Responded the Jinchuuriki with a smile.

 _''I hope to god that's the case''_ Thought Tsunade with a hand on her temple. ''Get out of here before I change my mind. And I'm gonna call for you in about two hours or so to discuss further details about it, but for now, you are dismissed.''

''Roger!'' Answered Naruto eagerly and proceeded to go for the door before the Hokage interrupted him again.

''And one more thing, Naruto.'' Said Tsunade which caught the blond's attention. ''Next time, drop the formalities. They don't suit you.'' Said the woman with a smile.

Naruto gave one of his trademark smiles in response. ''Got it. And thanks again for listening to me, Tsunade-Baachan.'' Said the blond before exiting the office and leaving Tsunade alone.

'' _What a way to start the morning. That's Naruto for you.''_ Thought the grinning woman before taking a sip from her coffee again.

Naruto exited the Hokage tower with a victorious grin on his face. He was so relieved to know that Kurotsuchi wasn't gonna have to suffer in that cell for much longer. Well, as long as she behaved herself once she was out but he could think about those small details later.

''Hey, is that Naruto-Kun?!''

Naruto stopped in his way to look at the source of the voice and found all the integrants of team Gai just a few feet away from him.

''You are right Lee, that is Naruto! Hey, Naruto how are you doing?!'' Yelled the female member of team Gai, Tenten. She was a fair skinned girl with brown eyes and brown hair that she kept in two buns on both sides of her head. She wore a white long sleeved blouse, red Hakama-like pants, and fingerless gloves.

Naruto waved at them in greeting and approached them with a toothy smile. ''Hey guys! Long time no see!''

''Likewise, Naruto-Kun! Is good to see you again!'' Replied Rock Lee with a thumbs up. He was a fair-skinned young man with black hair in a bowl cut, his black eyes were comically round and on top of that, he had very thick eyebrows. He was dressed in a green spandex jumpsuit, wore orange leg warmers, had bandages around his arms, and used his forehead protector in his waist like a belt. The only part of Konoha's uniform that he wore was the flak jacket.

''We weren't aware that you were back.'' Said Neji. He was a member of the Hyuga clan and was Hinata's cousin. He had pale skin, long brown hair that reached his lower back, and as a Hyuga, he had pupil-less white eyes. He used a long sleeved white Kimono with matching pants and a gray apron tied around his waist. ''I heard rumors that you went missing, but it's good to know that you are fine.'' Said the Hyuga with a smile.

''Yosh! And I'm glad to see your flames of youth have continued to shine as bright as ever in all these years! You have grown quite a bit, Naruto-Kun!'' Replied Gai mirroring his student's pose by giving a thumbs up and a bright shining smile. He was the Sensei of Team Gai and also was its leader. He was a tall and well-built man, had high cheekbones and thick eyebrow. He had black hair and he had it in a bowl cut. His attire was exactly the same as his green-clad student, save for the missing bandages in his arms. All in all, he was practically a copy of his student right down to the ridiculous eyebrows and similar mannerisms.

''Is so good to see you guys! You too, bushy brow Sensei!'' Said Naruto cheerfully. ''And yes, I went missing for a while. It's a long story, but everything is fine now!'' Said Naruto trying to play the issue down to not make his friends worry unnecessarily. ''And by the way guys, What are you doing here this early? I didn't really expect to find anyone else here.''

''This? This is nothing. We have been up for a few hours already.'' Said Tenten with a sigh. _''with Gai sensei's training regimen one can just dream of a proper sleep...''_ Though the girl.

''Tenten is right, Naruto-Kun! We have just finished our morning exercises and were on our way to ask the Hokage for our first mission of the day!'' Exclaimed eagerly the eccentric Sensei.

''Gai-Sensei always says that a rigorous training of both mind and body is what will take us to the path to being an extraordinaire Shinobi!'' Said Lee with the same enthusiasm as his sensei. ''In fact, why don't you join us, Naruto-Kun? It would be a good way to let loose our flames of youth!''

Gai's face brightened at his student's suggestion. ''Great idea, Lee! You can accompany us in our daily routine, Naruto-Kun! You can even use the time catch up with Lee, Neji, and Tenten!'' Said The man with vigor. ''What do you say, are up for the challenge?!''

''Ummm...'' Said Naruto with uncertainty, wondering if it would be prudent. He did want to spend more time with his friends so it might not be such a bad idea. But as he debated about it, he looked past the expectant faces of Gai and Lee to see Neji and Tenten behind the green duo with alarmed looks on their faces as they shook their heads and hands in warning to the blond. ''Ummm...Maybe later. I kinda have something to do right now.'' Responded Naruto with a nervous look and a sweatdrop on his forehead.

''Well, don't worry about it. There will be plenty of chances in the future and you are free to join us anytime you want!'' Said the man with no apparent disappointment to his declined offer. ''I'm sorry, Naruto, but we'll have to leave you now. We still have a long day ahead of us, after all!'' Said Gai before starting to go to the Hokage tower.

''I'll see you later Naruto-Kun! I'm anxious to test myself against the new skills you got from your training trip!'' Said Lee was he passed Naruto with a wave of his arm while following his sensei.

''See you later, Naruto. I hope to catch up with you soon.'' Said Neji with a friendly smile as he too left.

''See you around, Naruto!'' Said Tenten as he passed by the blond.

''I'll see you guys around!'' Said Naruto, happy to have seen his old friends. But before he left as well, he remembered something and turned around to call the girl back. ''Hey Tenten! Can I talk to you for a minute?!''

Said girl turned around with surprise. ''Oh, What is it, Naruto?''

Naruto closed the distance with the girl and clapped his hands together in front of him as a form of request. ''I wanted to ask a favor from you if it was alright.'' Asked the blond.

Tenten looked surprised and wondered what could Naruto want from her. ''Sure I guess, go ahead.''

Naruto smiled with happiness at seeing the weapons specialist accept. ''Do your family still run that weapons shop?'' Inquired the Jinchuuriki.

''Yea we still do actually. Forge and all. Why do you ask? '' Said the girl and raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

Naruto smiled at that and proceeded to inform the girl of his idea. ''You see, I was thinking that...

-Somewhere else in Konoha-

Kurotsuchi was laying on her side as she rested on the small bed of her cell. She hadn't slept at all since Naruto left, heck she didn't even know what time it was due to the fact that natural light didn't reach the inside of her cell. So she didn't even know if it was morning or evening, but she could at least guess that she had been laying like that for at least half a day if her guess was correct.

Since she first woke up in this place, her mind had been plagued with all kinds of worrying thoughts. Not only was she probably going to spend the rest of her life being tortured in this stinking place but she also remembered what the crazy Akatsuki member had said back then in the Land of Hot Water, that her home had been attacked by that bastard and his friends. She wanted so badly to know how were her family and friends doing. Were they okay? Were they injured during the attack? She didn't even want to think of them dead, and the worst of all was that if that was the case she would never know now that she was a prisoner. And probably everyone in her village considered her dead, now that she thought about it.

She wanted so badly to see her father, and Akatsuchi, and even her grandpa. One of the things that really ate at her conscience was that the last time she had a proper conversation with her dad they ended up arguing. And now she would never have the chance to apologize. But If she was going to die in here she wasn't gonna allow the Konoha bastards to see her tears, as her dignity was all that she had left. And for all she knew, they could take that away from her too. She wasn't stupid, she knew what usually happened to female prisoners, especially ones with a Kekkei Genkai like her. The best she could hope for was a swift execution. She was either gonna be tortured to death, left to rot in her cell for life, or just executed, and she would rather just die and be done with it than being tormented for these assholes amusement.

She wanted to be strong during these dark times and face her troubles with her head high to show her enemies that she wouldn't break so easily, but with everything that was happening she found that she couldn't do it. It took all her willpower to not break down right there and tears were already threatening to fall from her eyes, but she didn't want to give the Konoha bastards the satisfaction to see her in this state. That's why she was laying on her side facing away from the door, wishing to just cease to exist altogether than have to endure the fate that awaited her.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door of her cell opened. She gave a small jump of surprise and quickly turned around to see two ANBU entering her room and flanked her, as each of them positioned themselves on opposite sides of her bed. She looked warily from ANBU to ANBU as she stared warily at their porcelain masks.

''What do you guys want?'' She tried to sound defiant, and she winced in shame at her own tone of voice as even she could hear the fear in her voice.

Both men stared at her silently for a moment, before one of them answered. ''We are here to take you to the Hokage. Please cooperate or we will be forced to take you there by force.'' Then, they went to grab her by her straitjacket to make her stand up, but the girl growled angrily at their touch and shook them off with a snarl.

''I get it. I can stand by myself so keep your hands to yourselves, you assholes!'' Said the Iwa Kunoichi as she jumped from the bed, refusing the ANBU's assistance. She shivered when her bare feet touched the cold floor of her cell; the Konoha medics had taken all of her clothes and given her hospital garments when they treated her injuries, and those weren't neither comfortable or warm.

Once she was up and ready, both men walked to the girl, one positioned himself to the front of Kurotsuchi while one stayed on the back and commanded her to follow them. ''Walk.'' Said the ANBU plainly.

Kurotsuchi begrudgingly obeyed, knowing that trying anything as she was flanked by two ANBU would be suicide as long as she couldn't use her Jutsu due to the straitjacket, which not only it didn't let her make hand seals, but it also seemed to keep her from using chakra.

They slowly but steadily made their way out of the T&I building. Once they were out, Kurotsuchi squinted her eyes when the sunshine hit her face. It had been days since she last saw the light of day and her eyes needed to adjust to it again.

People were staring at her as she was escorted to the Hokage tower. Even if she wasn't wearing anything that gave her away as an Iwa Kunoichi, the fact that she was restrained and being flanked by two ANBU was enough to make people conclude that she was a criminal, and as a result, she was drawing a lot of accusatory and judgmental stares. However, the girl barely paid them any mind as in her head she was going through all the possible reasons the Hokage could have to see her herself. The woman could have just as easily given an order to make Kurotsuchi's life a living hell, so it was weird to ask to see her directly. Maybe she wanted to intimidate her, or maybe she enjoyed making her enemies miserable in person. But her best guess was that the Hokage wanted to personally confirm that she was the granddaughter of the Tsuchikage, and out of all the possible reasons, that one seemed the most likely to the pink-eyed girl.

Their walk didn't take long and Kurotsuchi could already see a huge tower that was taller than all the buildings around, and the Kanji for ''Fire'' on the front made it obvious that it was the residence of the Hokage. She stared nervously at the structure as she approached it. She wanted to be strong and act tough, but knowing that she was soon going to be face to face with the most powerful person of her village's worst enemies scared even her, especially since in her current state she was defenseless; not that it would matter too much even if she could defend herself as she was in the middle of an enemy village. She was good, but even she would fall within seconds if an entire village was after her blood.

Once they entered the building, they went straight to the stairs, not even bothering to talk with the secretary. They stood in front of a door and one of the ANBU knocked firmly on it.

''Hokage-Sama, we have brought the prisoner.'' Said the man with formality.

''Bring her in.'' Was the simple response they got before the man opened the door and stepped inside, leaving the door open for the girl and the other man to come in.

Kurotsuchi stood frozen with reservation in front of the open door which earned her a push from the man behind her. She glanced back momentarily to shoot a glare at the ANBU before reluctantly stepping into the room.

Once inside the office, she could see the Hokage sitting on her desk with a stern look on her face. Jiraiya was standing to Tsunade's left and a silver-haired Jounin with one eye covered was standing to her right. And she was surprised when besides the Cyclops was the familiar face of Naruto. She also saw that four ANBU were already in the room, two on each side, and once her two escorts entered, they too joined the rest of the ANBU guarding the room, leaving her standing alone in the middle of the office.

She felt very small in the presence of both Sannin and the one Jounin that she could only assume was Sharingan Kakashi, and that was without taking into account the six ANBU total around her. She looked over to Naruto, wondering what could the idiot be doing here. She imagined that he was still going to try and convince her that he didn't mean any of this, but she didn't care what the blond moron said, as in her eyes he was still responsible for making her Konoha's bitch and no amount of pleas would make her forgive him.

When Naruto noticed the girl looking at him, he gave her a sheepish smirk, but it was quickly erased from his face when the girl answered with a cold glare. And a chiding look that Kakashi gave him made Naruto get serious for the occasion.

''Kurotsuchi from Iwa, right?''

The booming voice of Tsunade made Kurotsuchi gave a small jump of surprise when she realized that the Hokage had finally started addressing her.

''Y-yea...'' Said dumbly the pink-eyed girl. Even despite preparing herself mentally for the encounter with the Hokage, it did little to appease her nerves.

''It is to my knowledge that you were sent, along with a large squad of Iwa Shinobi, to attack and capture our Jinchuuriki. Is that correct?'' Inquired Tsunade in her same stoic tone.

''That was the mission given to me and my comrades, yes.'' Murmured Kurotsuchi with reservation.

''I must say, it was pretty bold of Ohnoki to send his own granddaughter. I guess that he considers you pretty capable, wouldn't you say?'' Inquired Tsunade.

Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes, it seemed that her guess had been correct and the Hokage wanted to confirm with her own eyes that she was related to the Tsuchikage. ''I wouldn't know, ma'am.'' Said the girl with formality.

Tsunade was surprised, she had heard that the girl was brash and overconfident, and here she was trying to act calm and collected if a bit submissive. She figured that the girl was smart enough to know the magnitude of the trouble she was in to refrain from acting cheeky. ''Anyway, I'm sure you are aware that what you and Iwa did is a very serious offense to Konoha, and depending on how things play out it could even lead to war.'' Tsunade remarked coldly the last part.

Kurotsuchi gulped at the Hokage's severe declaration. Even if she had always hoped for the chance that Iwa would finally give Konoha their dues, she knew that this could be the worst possible timing to start a war with them; they lost a large force of talented ninja when they tried to capture the Kyuubi, and if the Akatsuki really invaded Iwa and stole their Bijuu then they were in a terrible position to be picking fights right now.

''And by all accounts, I should have you executed, or at the very least lock you up for life.'' Said Tsunade with a glare directed at the Iwa Kunoichi, an action which made Kurotsuchi shiver in anticipation for her sentence. ''But I won't do either.'' finished the blonde.

Kurotsuchi's stomach was tied into a knot due to the sheer dread she felt right now. If they weren't gonna kill her or imprison her then that only left one thing, and if she heard that they were gonna turn her into a breeding stock so that Konoha could have their little army of Yoton users, then she might as well throw herself at the Hokage right now and hope for one of the ANBU put her out of her misery.

''Instead, I'll let you stay in the village as a 'guest' of sorts.'' Said Tsunade.

''...Come Again?'' Responded Kurotsuchi, completely puzzled.

''I'm saying that I'll let you wander freely around the village while you stay here. Of course, you'll always be watched by a squad of ANBU at all times and high-security places like the T&I division are off limits. If I see you go anywhere near there I'll make you a permanent resident in there.'' Warned the Hokage. ''Also, Naruto here has volunteered to take responsibility for you throughout your stay.'' Informed Tsunade as she looked over to the Jinchuuriki, and he, in turn, waved cheerfully at the Iwa girl.

Kurotsuchi's astonished face amused everyone in the room. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. It had to be a joke at her expense to make her hopeful and then crush her spirit once she felt safe. ''Wait a minute, are you serious? What do you get from this?'' Asked the confused girl.

Tsunade frowned at the girl's disrespect. ''I'm not doing this to gain anything, girl. What I do, I do it out of the goodness of my heart to give you a chance to live decently while you are in here.'' Said Tsunade seriously. ''You'll stay in the apartment next to Naruto so he can keep a better watch over you. Also, your rent and your expenses will be covered by him.''

''What!? You didn't tell me I was gonna have to pay for her!'' Said an upset Naruto.

''You accepted to take responsibility, and I'm not spending the village's money on her!'' Tsunade scolded the blond and Naruto hung his head in defeat.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi just stood there dumbfounded. Her mind was a mess and didn't know what to think. For all she knew they were still going to use her to get the Yoton on Konoha, but instead of forcing her to breed, maybe they hoped she found some Konoha prick and let herself be seduced by him? Honestly, who the fuck knew at this point.

''On another note, these are the ANBU that are going to be keeping watch over you.'' Said Tsunade as the ANBU guarding the room stepped forward and lined themselves so the girl could see them better.

Kurotsuchi watched intently at the row of masked individuals, and aside from their leader, which seemed to be a purple-haired Kunoichi with long hair, they were just average ANBU.

''Sooo...just to clarify, you are going to allow me to wander around the village as I please, while being watched over by the idiot and a squad of ANBU, is that correct?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with doubt.

''Yea, that's the gist of it.'' Confirmed Tsunade.

''Anything else?'' Asked Kurotsuchi eagerly.

''Just one thing.'' Said Tsunade before leaning forward in her seat with a threatening glare. ''If I hear that you hurt Konoha, or any of our people in any way, I'll make sure that you return to Iwa in a box. Is that clear?'' the blonde told the girl as she channeled some of her killer intent.

Kurotsuchi nodded stiffly with a sweatdrop on her forehead.

''Good.'' Said Tsunade with a small smirk. ''Now that we got the ground rules out of the way, I guess we can get you out of that thing.'' Exclaimed the female Sannin before she gave a signal to the ANBU.

The purple haired ANBU nodded and pulled out her Katana as she closed the distance between her and Kurotsuchi, an act which made The Iwa prodigy tense up when she saw the woman pull her blade before the long haired woman reassured her. ''Relax, I'm just going to take off that straitjacket.'' Said the woman calmly as she grabbed the annoying garment, and in a swift cut, Kurotsuchi's arms were free again.

Once Kurotsuchi regained full motion of her limbs, the first thing she did was stretch and massage her sore arms, but she stopped when she remembered something. ''Could I have my clothes back?'' Asked the girl to the Hokage.

Tsunade looked at the girl curiously, not expecting that to be her first request. ''Sure, I'll have them delivered to your new apartment later.'' Said the busty woman and Kurotsuchi just nodded. ''Now, since this matter has been resolved, you can all just go. Naruto, take Kurotsuchi to her new place, after that you can do whatever you want. She is your responsibility now. And don't forget to take the key to her apartment.'' The Hokage reminded the blond.

''Leave it to me, Tsunade-Baachan!'' Said Naruto with a grin as he grabbed the small key on the desk. ''Let's go, Kurotsuchi! I can even show you where I live, is right next door of your apartment!'' Exclaimed Naruto before grabbing the girl by the arm and sprinted for the exit to lead the way.

''You don't have to grab me, moron! I can walk just fine! Hey!'' Said the Iwa girl to the eager boy as she was dragged away.

Now that they both left, so did the ANBU now that their job had begun, leaving Tsunade along with Jiraiya and Kakashi.

Now that everyone else had left, Tsunade took the liberty to address her old teammate. ''What do you think about this, Jiraiya?'' Asked the blonde. Even if Jiraiya liked to act like an old fool most of the time, she knew that the man was wise, and his insight on the matter interested Tsunade.

''I think that the council is gonna be a thorn in your side for a while. I doubt they will be too happy about this.'' Said the toad Sage with crossed arms.

''I can handle those old farts just fine. I want to know what you personally think.'' clarified the Hokage.

''Honestly, I don't like the girl. Is pretty obvious that she would kill us if she had the chance, Naruto included. But she also doesn't strike me as stupid, as long as security around her doesn't get lax she shouldn't try anything.'' Replied Jiraiya. He accepted that he was probably a bit bias against the girl as he had first met her when she and her friends were trying to skin him alive along with his student, but even if he wasn't, the girl was still an enemy, and the fact was that she was going to be loose in the village made and that made him feel uneasy, even with all the security around her.

''I know what you mean, I have similar thoughts myself.'' Said the woman in reflexion. ''What about you, Kakashi? What is your take on this?'' Asked the woman to the copy ninja.

The Sharingan wielder looked at the woman serenely before answering. ''While I do think that is prudent, even necessary, to keep tabs on the girl, I also think that we should give Naruto more credit. He seems to really like the girl, and he has always been good to see the good qualities in people. What I mean to say is that I trust Naruto's judgment, and he is the only one of us that has spent considerable amount of time with the girl to form a better understanding of her character.''

''Aren't you putting a little too much faith in Naruto's judgment? I mean, he is Naruto after all.'' Inquired the woman with a raised eyebrow.

However, Kakashi stayed firm in his opinion. ''Naruto isn't a little kid anymore, Tsunade-Sama. I think that he has earned the right to prove himself, and I'm choosing to have faith in him.'' Said the copy ninja with conviction.

''You might be right.'' Said Tsunade with a sigh as she rested her head on her folded hands. She just wished she could share Kakashi's confidence.

-Konoha's streets-

Once Naruto and Kurotsuchi were outside, and halfway through the street, the girl finally pulled her arm away from the blond's hold. ''Don't touch me, you asshole!'' Shouted the girl at the perplexed Jinchuuriki.

''Uh? What's wrong, Kurotsuchi?'' Asked the blond, bemused.

''Everything! That's what's wrong!'' Yelled the girl to the Genin's face. '' I told you I didn't want to see your face again, and I meant it. The only reason I haven't choked you to death is because I would be dead before I could.'' Remarked the Iwa Kunoichi. It was true, even right now she could feel the nearby ANBU hiding in the trees and nearby roofs around her, they weren't even making an effort to hide their presence.

''I know is not ideal, and if I could get you to Iwa I could, but this is the best leniency I could make Tsunade-Baachan show you.'' Replied the blond apologetically.

''I'm still a fucking worthless captive for all of you, pricks. No matter how much you want to sugarcoat it. And like I would buy that you are the reason I'm not in that cell anymore. There is no way you can influence the Hokage that much.'' Said the girl with disdain.

''But it's true! I gave it my all to make Tsunade-Baachan get you off the hook, if at least a little bit.'' Insisted an annoyed Naruto.

''Oh, you are my hero'' Said the girl sarcastically with her hands together in mock-swooning, obviously not believing him at all. '' Let me remind you something, and this time don't you ever forget it.'' Said the girl with a glare as she closed the distance between them and grabbed the boy by his jacket to make him lean towards her. ''You are not my buddy, and we are never going to be friends. So get that out of you thick skull. My biggest regret is that I didn't stab you in the back when I had the chance, as everything in my life has been going downhill since I met you.'' Said the girl in a low, dangerous tone, before letting go of the blond.

Naruto looked shocked for a moment before his face morphed into a look of sadness and anger and just settled to look at the ground with a cold look. He had really made a great effort to get her out of her confinement, and while he didn't expect her to be bouncing with joy he had at least hoped that she was more mellow.

''Hand me the key to the apartment. I can find the way on my own, I don't need your stupid ass.'' Said the girl expectantly with an outstretched arm.

With the same stoic face, Naruto pulled the small key from his jacket and threw it at Kurotsuchi for her to catch before he turned around and started walking away.

Kurotsuchi easily caught the key and addressed Naruto once more. ''And you better not bother me again, I don't care that you live next door.'' Warned the girl.

Naruto suddenly stopped and glanced back to the girl, and gave her the coldest and harshest look Kurotsuchi had ever seen the blond give her. ''Fine, do as you wish.'' Said the Jinchuuriki with restrained anger before resuming his walk.

Kurotsuchi was momentarily stunned at the idiot's unusual behavior but quickly shrugged it off. ''Hmmmp, whatever.'' Was the only thing the girl murmured before she too left.

-A few hours later-

Tsunade was currently sitting on a large table in a conference room, along with Jiraiya, and the Konoha council, which consisted of herself, Mitokado Homura, Utatane Koharu, and Shimura Danzo.

Homura was an old man with Grey hair and beard. He used thick round glasses and used a sand-yellow robe with a white sash.

Koharu was an old woman with graying hair that she kept in a twin bun and her eyes always seemed to be closed. She wore a black Kimono with a white sash.

Danzo was also an old man, but unlike his fellow elders, he still had black hair. His hair was shaggy and his only visible eye was squinted, just like Koharu, while his right eye was bandaged, and had an X-shaped scar on his chin. He used a white shirt that was covered by a dark robe that concealed his right arm and legs, leaving only his left arm uncovered. He also used a cane but since he was sitting he had it beside his chair.

''Now that we are all present, we can start the meeting.'' Declared Tsunade with authority.

''Then allow me to voice my concerns first.'' Said Homura with severity. ''We have been informed that a Kunoichi from Iwagakure has been apprehended.''

''And still, for some reason, she has been allowed to roam free in our village.'' Continued Koharu with the same severe tone of her partner.

''She isn't free per se; she is being watched by ANBU the twenty-four hours of the day, and has Naruto watching over her on top of it.'' Said Jiraiya in Tsunade's defense.

''The point is that she is an enemy. She shouldn't be anywhere in the village aside from locked in a cell.'' Said Danzo coldly.

''Danzo is right, you shouldn't be so lenient to an enemy, Tsunade.'' Agreed Homura with the war hawk.

''I had my reasons for what I did and I'm standing by them.'' Said Tsunade calmly.

''Yea, we heard about that too. We know that Naruto asked for the girl's punishment to be revoked. That boy has always had more heart than brains, but you should know better, Tsunade.'' Said Homura.

''However, we can still get something out from this situation. Put the girl in my care and soon I'll have her conditioned to do anything we want, even spy on Iwa for us.'' Suggested Danzo.

''So you are saying we brainwash her?'' Inquired Jiraiya.

''It would certainly give us an edge over Iwa if we give her back as an undercover agent. And if she actually reached the position of Tsuchikage we could practically rule Iwa from the shadows.'' Elaborated Danzo.

''I have already taken care of her myself and I'm not handing her to you, Danzo. If she does something that can compromise us then by all means you can have her. But unless that happens, I don't want to hear anything about the issue again. Do I make myself clear?'' Said the Hokage sternly, and with her glare she dared anyone to say otherwise.

The rest of the council members realized that Tsunade had made up her mind regarding the girl, and whenever she did that there was no convincing her, so all of them, even Danzo, nodded reluctantly in understanding even if they thought this was a big mistake.

''We should rather discuss what we should do about Iwa itself.'' Reminded the Hokage.

''That's a good point. They attacked Jiraiya and attempted to take our Jinchuuriki, that transgression can't go unpunished.'' Said Danzo

''We have Ohnoki's granddaughter with us. We can demand compensation if we threaten to make the girl answer for their crimes.'' Suggested Homura.

''Actually, this would be a good opportunity to get rid of them. They have recently lost both of their own Jinchuuriki, and their village, along with their defenses and forces, had been badly damaged. They haven't been this weak since the end of the last war and since then we have recovered our strength. We have the clear advantage over them.'' Said the war hawk.

''War is a serious matter, Danzo. By inciting any form of open warfare between two great Shinobi nations you could be starting the Fourth Great Ninja War if the rest of the Nations want to take advantage of it.'' Warned Jiraiya.

''Not if we strike swiftly and eliminate them before such a thing could happen.'' Insisted Danzo stubbornly.

''The risk is still too great, Danzo. As Jiraiya says, war is not to be taken lightly.'' Homura agreed with the toad Sage.

''We still have to do something, though. We can't let them get away with this either.'' Said Koharu.

''And believe me, they won't.'' Said the Hokage firmly.

''Do you have something in mind, Tsunade?'' Inquired Homura expectantly.

''I do in fact.'' Replied the beauty with a smirk. ''I'm thinking that we should arrange a meeting with Ohnoki to discuss a way for them to make up to us.'' Tsunade's opinion surprised everyone.

''And you think that Ohnoki is just going to accept to meet with us?'' Said a baffled Danzo.

''I'm going to let him know that we have his granddaughter. I'm going to use her to blackmail him, tell him that he will be jeopardizing her wellbeing unless he agrees to the meeting.'' Said the blonde coldly.

''I'm surprised to see you resort to such methods, it's not like you.'' Noted Homura and Jiraiya nodded in agreement.

''He is the one who forced my hand. I have to make him answer for what he has done and if I have to resort to blackmail, I will.'' Proclaimed the Hokage in a commanding tone.

''And what if he still refuses?'' Asked Koharu.

At that question Tsunade leaned in her chair and rested her head on her hands, pondering on an answer.

Everyone was anxiously waiting for her response, and after a couple of minutes of silence, Tsunade finally spoke. ''If he still does, then Danzo's idea might have some merit.'' At that, everyone went upset with shock, save for Danzo who smirked.

''Hime, you can't really mean that!'' Said the altered Jiraiya.

''Even if we can beat Iwa we'll still take heavy loses!'' Exclaimed Koharu.

''It has taken us years to recover from the Kyuubi attack and the Uchiha massacre. This would only set us back even more!'' Added Koharu.

''If Iwa refuses to answer for their transgression then we will have to make them. I don't want war either but doing nothing could be just as bad.'' Said the Hokage with seriousness. ''What message do we send to the other villages when someone tries to take our Jinchuuriki and kill one of our strongest ninjas and we just let them? As you said, after the Kyuubi and the massacre not only have we struggled to keep ourselves strong but also to make the other nations think we are strong, especially in recent years after the Oto invasion. If we back down from something like this we might be cementing our reputation as a weak village and we could soon see more attempts from the rest of the hidden villages because of it.'' Explained Tsunade.

''It seems like this situation might end up in disaster either way, no matter what we choose.'' Said Homura solemnly.

''Let's hope it doesn't come to that.'' Said Tsunade trying to ease the tension. ''Don't misunderstand, I'm not jumping at the chance for conflict, but if they leave us no choice that is what we are gonna do.'' Declared their leader.

''And how do we proceed right now?'' Asked Koharu.

''Send a letter to Ohnoki telling him about his granddaughter's imprisonment, also tell him to meet me at the ruins of the Kannabi outpost. That would be the best place I can think of for a meeting.'' ordered the Hokage.

''At Kannabi outpost? You mean the one that was being built in the last war to oversee the Kannabi bridge?'' Asked Homura.

''Its construction halted once the bridge was destroyed and has been abandoned since. It would be a good place for a meeting in these circumstances. Nice thinking, Hime.'' Complimented Jiraiya. He knew that in this situation when two enemy parties needed to meet, the best place to go would be a neutral location like that one.

''You are not seriously thinking of going yourself, right?'' Asked Danzo coarsely.

''Of course not, I'm not stupid. We'll be sending Shadow Clones.'' Chided the blonde. ''And if Ohnoki is smart he will do the same.''

''Is that your final say?'' Inquired Koharu.

''It is.'' Said Tsunade plainly.

''Then I guess this meeting is over.'' Assumed Danzo, already preparing to stand and leave.

''Indeed. You are all dismissed.'' Declared the Hokage.

At her command, all the members of the council left the room one by one, and as soon as Tsunade was alone she collapsed in her seat with pent up stress. Today had been a hard day for her. Sometimes she wished she never accepted the position of Hokage and let Jiraiya be stuck with it or something. But for now, she wanted to enjoy the precious moment of tranquility she had, for she knew that there were still more struggles to come and she should relax while she still had the chance.

-Konoha's streets-

It was dusk by the time the meeting was done, and after finally being free, Jiraiya resolved to find Naruto to see how he was taking his new responsibility. He started by going to Ichiraku Ramen and sure enough, as soon as he entered he spotted the familiar sight of orange sitting on the counter.

''Here you are, kid. I see that you already let Teuchi-San know that you are back.'' Greeted the Sannin with a grin.

''Oh, hi Ero-Sennin.'' Naruto greeted Jiraiya as well but without his usual enthusiasm, which puzzled Jiraiya.

''If it isn't Jiraiya-Sama! Please have a seat!'' Said Teuchi, the owner of the restaurant. He was a middle-aged plump man with graying hair and squinted eyes. He was wearing his usual uniform which consisted of a white Kimono with an apron tied around his waist and a small chef hat. ''You should have told us that you two were back. Ayame already went home but if she had known Naruto was coming she would have loved to welcome him personally.''

''Sorry for that, Teuchi-San, things had been complicated as of late and it slipped our minds.'' Jiraiya apologized.

''Well, that would explain why Naruto is so down. He has barely eaten his bowl since he ordered it. I hope he didn't lose his liking for ramen while you two were away.'' Said Teuchi with worry.

''Is that so?'' Jiraiya eyed the blond suspiciously. ''Well then, I better make him some company, so I'll have an order of whatever the kid is having.'' Said Jiraiya to the ramen chef, and through their previous conversation, he noted that Naruto didn't even react to anything they had been saying.

''Of course, Jiraiya-Sama.'' Exclaimed Teuchi before getting to work on another bowl.

After finishing ordering, Jiraiya sat next to Naruto and stared at the blond as the boy picked his Ramen with the chopsticks but he wasn't eating any. ''What's up with you, kid? I didn't think it was possible for you to look so down with a bowl of ramen in your hands.'' Joked the toad Sage.

However, Naruto just continued to play with his ramen with a sad look on his face. ''I'm sorry, Ero-Sennin, I don't mean to trouble old man Teuchi and you. I'm just not in a good mood, that's all.''

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow at that before talking again. ''And where is your new rock-headed friend? I thought she would be with you.'' asked the man while glancing around the place. Jiraiya noted the frown that appeared on Naruto's face at the mention of the Iwa Kunoichi. _''As I thought, this is about the girl.''_

''So, I take things aren't going as you wanted with her?'' Asked the older man knowingly.

''I just wanted to get along with her, but...'' Naruto started before he trailed off.

''What happened?'' Inquired Jiraiya with concern.

Naruto gave a deep sigh before answering. ''She told me that she wishes she never met me and that she wants nothing to do with me, among other things, but you get the main idea.''

Jiraiya frowned at hearing about the girls attitude, but he supposed it was expected; obviously the girl wasn't gonna take kindly to being forced to stay in Konoha, as she was still their prisoner even if her cell was the whole village. ''We did warn you it wasn't gonna be easy.'' Jiraiya reminded the blond.

''Don't get me wrong, I didn't expect her to be delighted either when I helped her, but I had hoped that at least she would be a bit more civil, you know. I thought that maybe we could be friends.'' Explained the Jinchuuriki while he kept stirring his soup.

Jiraiya stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of something to say to the blond, but in the end, he just settled for asking him another question. ''Do you regret helping her?''

Naruto stopped stirring his soup at the question as he thought about the answer. ''I still don't regret it, Ero-sSnnin. I know that was the right thing to do. But she almost makes me do it, and I think that is the worst part of this.'' Admitted the Jinchuuriki. He didn't like to think that way because he knew that the girl wasn't bad at heart, but he also couldn't deny his frustration. He practically begged Tsunade to have mercy on the girl, he was paying for her expenses, and he had accepted to take responsibility too should Kurotsuchi do something bad. Taking all that into account, it was resulting very difficult for the blond to not resent the pink-eyed girl.

Jiraiya realized where the boy was coming from, but before he could give an opinion, someone else entered the ramen stand.

''Here you are, Naruto. I've been looking everywhere for...Oh, Jiraiya-Sama! I hope I'm not interrupting!'' Said an ashamed Tented as she stood at the entrance of Ichiraku.

''Don't worry about it.'' reassured Jiraiya.

''Hi Tenten, what's up?'' Asked Naruto with surprise.

''Don't tell me you already forgot? I already finished that little task you asked of me.'' Replied the weapons user as she took out a scroll and held it for the blond to see.

Naruto finally perked up at hearing the news and even gave a small grin. ''Really? Wow, that was fast!''

''Well, what can I say? I work fast.'' boasted the girl as she handed the scroll to Naruto who promptly took it. ''By the way, who is it for? You told me it was a favor for a friend, right?'' Asked the girl curiously.

At Tenten's words, Naruto's smile vanished once again. ''Well, I don't know if she is my friend. To be honest, I'm not even sure if she will accept it.'' Said the blond solemnly and Tenten raised an eyebrow at the Jinchuuriki's answer.

''Wait a minute, kid. Don't tell me you got that for Kurotsuchi.'' Guessed the toad Sannin.

''Uh? Am I missing something here? Who is Kurotsuchi?'' Asked a confused Tenten.

''It's a long story.'' Said Jiraiya once again, it seemed that he had been saying that too much lately.

''Anyway, whoever she is I sure hope she likes it. I put a lot of effort into it.'' Tenten voiced her thoughts. Even if Naruto had already paid for it, she still didn't want to hear that her work would go to waste.

Naruto said nothing as he stared at the scroll in his hand when Jiraiya finally thought that enough was enough and addressed the Jinchuuriki again. ''Naruto, why don't you go and give it to her instead of moping around?'' Said Jiraiya sternly.

Naruto stared at Jiraiya intently before talking. ''But I'm not sure if she will take it.''

Jiraiya gave an exasperated sigh at the blond's attitude. ''You won't know until you do, so you might as well just do it. You aren't doing anything right now, so why not?''

Naruto thought about it for a moment and finally decided that Jiraiya was right, and with determination, he made up his mind to go and talk with Kurotsuchi. ''You are right, Ero-Sennin. I won't know until I try, right?'' Said Naruto as he gave the Sannin a grin.

''Now that's the Naruto I know.'' Exclaimed Jiraiya with a smirk of his own.

Naruto nodded and quickly finished his ramen in a few seconds as Jiraiya and Tented stared wide-eyed at the speed with which he devoured his meal. With a content sigh, he put the bowl down and dropped some money on the table to pay for the ramen. ''Thanks for the food, old man! I'll see you and Ayame later!'' Said the boy before he hastily left the ramen stand.

Jiraiya stared at the spot where Naruto had been just a moment ago before he too stood and paid for his own bowl even if he didn't eat at all. ''I'm gonna go after Naruto. It was good to see you, Teuchi-san.'' Said the Sannin as he left with the intent to see how Naruto handled his problem.

''Likewise, Jiraiya-Sama. But what do I do with the ramen?'' Said Teuchi as he held the bowl of soup.

''You can give it to the girl.'' Shouted the Sannin when he was already halfway across the street.

Teuchi turned to Tenten, who had silently watched the whole interaction, and put the bowl in front of her on the counter. ''Here you go, miss.''

Tenten stared at the bowl of ramen before shrugging and sitting down on a nearby chair. She wasn't particularly hungry but free food was always good, right?

Naruto didn't take long to reach the familiar sight of his apartment building and didn't waste any time to rush up the stairs, but instead of going to his apartment like he usually did, he instead stopped when he reached the door to the apartment next to his. He stood anxiously in front of the door and after building enough confidence he knocked on the wooden surface. He waited for a moment before the door opened and the annoyed face of Kurotsuchi appeared on the other side of it. Someone had apparently brought her her old clothes as she wasn't wearing the hospital garbs and she was using her usual red uniform instead.

''Hey Kurotsuchi! I see that you found your apartment!'' Said the blond cheerfully.

''I think I clearly remember telling you to not bother me again, dumbass. What is it that I need to do to make you understand that?'' Said the annoyed girl in anger.

''I know that but I wanted to...''

''Shut up for fucks sake! I don't give a crap what you want, just get out of my sight!'' Interrupted the irate Kurotsuchi before she slammed the door on Naruto's face.

Naruto stood stunned in place and Jiraiya appeared beside him almost immediately after.

''You were right, she is acting like a bitch.'' Said Jiraiya trying to strike a conversation with the blond before he glanced at the Jinchuuriki and saw him gripping tightly the scroll on his hand with a look of repressed anger on his face.

''I should have known. Maybe it's true, maybe too I'm stupid and naive that I thought that I could change her mind.'' Said the blond through gritted teeth.

Jiraiya looked sympathetically at Naruto as he put a hand on the boy's shoulder. ''Don't take it at heart, kid. People's feelings don't change overnight and she is just getting used to this situation, just give it some time. Tell you what, you can give the scroll to me and I'll make sure she gets it and you can go home. It's been a long day for us all after all.'' Said the Sannin comfortingly to his apprentice.

Naruto nodded silently, agreeing with his master. So he handed the small scroll to the Sage and after that, he just continued to walk straight until he reached his own apartment and disappeared inside.

With a solemn face, Jiraiya watched Naruto go. And once the boy was out of sight, instead of going away he opted for facing the door in front of him with a frown. He had tried to keep his cool around Naruto, but on the inside, he was pissed off at the girl's thankless behavior. It seemed that the girl still needed to know her place.

Meanwhile, inside the apartment, Kurotsuchi was huffing in annoyance. Even if she had just told Naruto to piss off she wasn't sure if that would be enough to keep the knucklehead idiot off her back. She had already been in a poor mood early in the day and on top of it, she spent most of the afternoon and evening asking around random villagers for Naruto's address, knowing that if she found where the moron lived she would find her own place. But eEven if she wasn't happy that she would be living among the Konoha assholes, it was much better than staying in a cell.

She was starting to walk away from the door to continue getting a feel for the place when she heard someone knock on the door once more. She frowned in exasperation before turning around and rushing for the door. ''Are you deaf or what, you...'' Kurotsuchi's words died in her throat when she opened the door and found Jiraiya standing outside instead of the blond Jinchuuriki she was expecting.

''Hello there.'' Greeted Jiraiya in a cheerful tone. ''I wanted to see that you had properly settled in. Can I come in?'' Asked the Sannin inquisitively.

''Uhh..Sure.'' Said the dumbfounded Kunoichi as she slowly stepped aside to let the man in.

Jiraiya calmly entered the apartment and started to glance around the place. He noted that it was a humble apartment, which was to be expected if it was the same complex that Naruto lived in. He could see a little kitchen in one side of the room and a small living room on the other. The living room was just a small coffee table in front of a single sofa, nothing fancy. And at the end of the hallway he could see a door that presumably led to the bedroom and another door on the opposite wall that he figured must lead to the bathroom.

''I hope that you find the place comfortable, even if it probably isn't up to the standards you are used.'' Said Jiraiya amicably. He had a guess that the girl being the Tsuchikage's granddaughter was probably used to living in luxury.

''It's fine, I guess.'' Answered the girl plainly.

''Oh before i forget, Naruto asked me to give you something.'' Said the Sannin as he pulled out the scroll that Naruto had previously handed him.

Kurotsuchi grimaced at the mention of the orange wearing ninja. ''I'm not interested in whatever that fool wants to give me, so you can just throw it away for all I care.'' Said the girl with disdain.

Jiraiya was starting to get irritated, but he refrained from showing it. ''Maybe you should take a look at whatever is in it. He went through the trouble of getting it for you and he is serious when he says he wants to be on good terms with you.'' Insisted the white-haired man.

''Look, I already made up my mind and I'm serious about not wanting to have anything to do with him. So if that is the only thing you wanted to say, please let me be.'' Responded the girl as she started opening the front door for Jiraiya to leave, but before she fully opened it, Jiraiya slammed the door shut with a strong arm keeping the girl from trying to open it again.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock as she stared at the Sannin who was currently glaring holes through her and focusing his killing intent on the Kunoichi.

''Your attitude is really starting to get on my nerves, you inconsiderate brat.'' Said the furious Sannin. '' I know that you are angry and displeased about your forced stay in here but frankly I don't give a crap.''

Kurotsuchi just continued to stare frightened at the man, and when Jiraiya saw that she wasn't gonna add anything he continued.

''If it was up to me and Tsunade you would be rotting in a cell right now and the only reason you are not is because that 'moron' that you are so set on hating, begged Tsunade so that you would be spared from that and maybe even worse things, and in fact, is because of him that we didn't leave you to bleed out back there in the Land of Hot Water.''

Kurotsuchi frowned feeling ashamed in realization once she knew that as she hadn't considered that the reason Naruto had brought her here was to save her life.

Jiraiya continued his tirade, however. ''I don't know how though you think you are, but don't forget that you are in an enemy nation and if you hope to get out in one piece you would be wise to make some friends, and you are shitting on the only one willing to be one, and to be honest I don't know what he sees in such a selfish bitch like yourself, but you should learn your place; this isn't Iwa and that behavior of yours is not going to do you any favors here.'' Said Jiraiya to the still stunned girl. ''I just want you to keep all of that in mind. Have a good night.'' Finished the toad Sage as he left the apartment and slammed the door behind him when he left.

Once Jiraiya was gone, Kurotsuchi let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she tried to relax. That had been a scary experience, having someone as powerful as Jiraiya channeling all his killing intent on her almost made her faint. But still, the Sannin's words left her thinking. So Naruto had said the truth and he really was responsible for getting her out of prison. The thought made her feel guilty after how she treated the blond. To be honest, the tension of the day had really put her on edge, and her natural reaction was to take it all out on Naruto even if he didn't deserve it, especially when he had apparently tried to help her at every turn.

As she went through all that in her head, Kurotsuchi noticed on the floor the scroll that Jiraiya had been holding and she presumed that the man had dropped it in his rage. She remembered that the man had said that Naruto meant to give that to her and with curiosity she reached to grab the scroll. Once she had it in her hands, she opened it and realized that something was sealed inside if the single kanji on the paper was anything to go by. So, she channeled a small amount of Chakra to her hand and passed it over the sheet of paper, and sure enough, after she did, something materialized out of the smoke it produced and she got a hold of whatever it was.

When she realized what she was holding, she widened her eyes in surprise and delight. It was her mother's blade! She inspected the handle and pulled the weapon out of the scabbard to inspect it and she could confirm with absolute certainty that it was the same blade. _''But I left it back in The Land of hot Water, and also I saw that sadistic bastard snap it in two''_ Though the puzzled girl and it dawned on her that Naruto must have grabbed it while she was unconscious, and on top of it he had the blade fixed. She gripped the sword tightly with a frown on her face, feeling ashamed for her behavior towards the blond. Now she realized that not only had he saved her from bleeding out after the encounter with the Akatsuki, but he also did everything in his power to give her the closest to comfortable living conditions as she could get while she was here, and if that wasn't enough, he had taken care of her mother's heirloom.

Saying that she felt like shit was an understatement, and was at that moment when she finally managed to comprehend that Naruto's attempts to be her friend were totally legitimate and pure. So with this new information, she resolved to apologize to the boy tomorrow, and she hoped that he didn't resent her much after how she acted towards him today, but at least she would attempt to make things right.

 **Author's note: Just like the past chapter, this one also was been very satisfying to write as I had a lot of these scenes planned since forever. I know that I probably dissapointed a lot of people who were expecting a prison break, but nevertheless, I hope that this outcome was to your liking as well.**

 **So, now that I got that out of the way, enjoy the chapter! and as always please review or give your opinion if you have the time :)**


	13. Chapter 13: New Acquaintances

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 13: New Acquaintances

Kurotsuchi stood nervously in front of the door to Naruto's apartment, just like she had been doing so for the last five minutes. It was still morning as she had woken up early in hopes of meeting with the blond before he left to start his day. Last night she had resolved to apologize to the Jinchuuriki for her lousy behavior towards him the day before, but apologizing wasn't exactly her strongest suit and, because of that, she was unsure of how to go about it. She could just say a simple 'I'm sorry' but even that would be difficult enough for her and she figured it wouldn't cut it. She decided that she might as well do it quickly and be done with it, that way at least the awkward moment wouldn't be too long. So she took a deep breath to gather her confidence as she brought up her fist to knock on the door, but before she did, the door opened to reveal a weary Naruto still wearing his pajamas.

Naruto's sleepy eyes widened in surprise when he saw the girl standing on his doorstep. ''Kurotsuchi? I didn't know you were here...'' Said Naruto before rubbing his face with a free hand to try to remove his drowsiness.

Kurotsuchi froze in place momentarily at the unexpected appearance of the boy and as a result, she only managed to stammer a response. ''I-I was just..hmmm...I just wanted to see what you were up to?''Said the girl with uncertainty and she berated herself mentally for the stupid comment.

Naruto blinked slowly in confusion. Yesterday the girl had told him to not bother her ever again and now she just passing by to see what he was doing? ''Well...I just woke up and was about to water my plants, is all.'' Said the blond as he lifted a watering can with his hand.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that before glancing to the small pots with flowers that were beside the door that she had never paid attention until now. ''I didn't know you were into gardening.'' Commented the Kunoichi.

''I used to be more invested in it before I left as I couldn't really do it when I was traveling with Ero-Sennin.'' Explained the blond as he scratched the back of his head. ''I was expecting to find them all dried up by now but is good to see that Kakashi-Sensei actually took care of them while i was away.''

''I see..'' Kurotsuchi was at a loss for words, she didn't expect Naruto to be in such a hobby. It just seemed too calming of an activity for the energetic boy, but it was okay she supposed, having a tranquil hobby could be good for anyone, especially Naruto.

Then they just stood there silently without knowing what to say, until finally, Naruto cleared his throat to get rid of the uncomfortable silence.

''So...you want to come in, maybe?'' Asked the blond with politeness.

Kurotsuchi remembered what she came here for and her nerves returned once again. ''Sure...'' Replied the girl as Naruto held the door open for her to come in.

As she entered, Kurotsuchi could sense the ANBU watching over her shift their position to have a better view inside the apartment from the window, but she couldn't blame them for distrusting her around Naruto after the scene she made the day before and especially after she got her sword back. Once inside in Naruto's home, she glanced around the small place and she noted that the blond's apartment was even smaller than hers; it was a single room with a door that lead to the bathroom and another one to a small kitchen. She could see an unmade bed and scattered clothes just beside the entrance door, and there was a simple cabinet on the opposite wall. All in all, it wasn't very spacious at all.

Naruto soon joined her after he closed the door and he stood awkwardly on the door of the kitchen. ''You want anything to eat? though I just have instant ramen right now.'' Offered Naruto with uncertainty as he still found the girl's visit unusual.

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at the selection of food. ''Of course you would only have ramen.'' Said the girl with a small smirk.

Naruto pouted at the jab to his love for ramen. ''We just recently came back, I haven't bought any groceries yet.'' Informed the annoyed blond.

Kurotsuchi bit her lip with a frown, feeling guilty at her own thoughtless disregard for the boy's hospitality. After all she came here to apologize to the blond not to make him feel worse. _''Nice going, Kurotsuchi''_ Thought the girl sarcastically. She was really trying to act nice to the guy, but she was so used to antagonizing him that she found it hard to be civil.

''I-I mean it's okay, I'm not hungry.'' Said the Iwa shinobi despite actually being starving. ''I just came here to talk anyway.''

Naruto tilted his head in wonder. ''About what?''

She looked away embarrassed as she grabbed her forearm with her other hand, unable to look him in the eye. ''Do you mind if I sit down?'' Asked the girl tentatively.

''Sure, go ahead.'' Answered Naruto with the same uncertain expression.

Kurotsuchi nodded appreciatively and promptly sat down on the edge of the blond's bed. She then stayed quiet as she thought of what to say to the boy and Naruto just stood there leaning on his wall feeling awkward at the uncomfortable silence. So when the girl did speak up, Naruto couldn't help but give a small startled jump.

''Look Naruto, About yesterday, I... I just wanted to say that...'' The girl tried to explain, as she nervously twiddled her thumbs trying to bring herself to say the words.

Naruto's look saddened as he guessed on what the girl came to say to him. ''It's okay, I know what you are trying to say.'' Said the boy with melancholy.

''You do?'' Asked the girl with a hopeful look and feeling relieved momentarily for not having to outright say she was sorry.

''You don't have to tell me again, I know I should just leave you alone.'' Elaborated the blond with the same sad look.

''What?'' Asked the puzzled Kurotsuchi with an alarmed look as she realized that the blond got the wrong idea.

''You hate me, I get it. So I'll try no not bother you anymore.'' Continued the blond.

''That wasn't what I was gonna-''

''It's my fault for not listening to you, I didn't mean to be annoying.'' Naruto inadvertently cut off the girl.

''Look, that was-''

''I just acted without thinking, I know.'' the blond interrupted again.

''Would you let me-''

''Even when-''

''Shut the fuck up, you moron!'' Shouted an angry Kurotsuchi as she sat up and made Naruto shrink with fear of her sudden outburst. ''I'm trying to apologize, god damn it! And you aren't making it any easier!'' Reprimanded the irate Kunoichi.

''Alright you don't have to yell! I'm...wait, you want to apologize?'' Asked the confused Jincuuriki.

''That's what I've been trying to say if your big mouth would just let me!'' Said Kurotsuchi in exasperation.

''But...I don't get it. You were so angry yesterday. I thought you didn't want to have anything to do with me anymore.'' Reasoned the boy.

The pink eyed girl sighed to try and regain her composture before explaining herself. ''Look, I was angry( '' _And scared''_ the girl added mentally) and I kind of took it all on you, and it wasn't fair.''As she explained herself, her guilt had returned full force and in shame was avoiding eye contact with the blond again.

Naruto was wide-eyed and at a loss for words. He hadn't expected the girl to apologize to him in a million years, but he just decided to go with it and after a moment he soon gave her a warm grin. ''Don't worry about it, it's all good!'' Said Naruto cheerfully, accepting her apology. Now he felt glad that his original guess on the girl's character hadn't been wrong after all.

Kurotsuchi felt relieved hearing Naruto forgive her, but considering his good nature it wasn't that surprising.

''So, what do you say? friends?'' Asked the blond tentatively with his trademark grin.

''Don't get the wrong idea. I said I was sorry that I treated you so harshly, I didn't say we were friends.'' clarified the girl with a serious face which earned her a disappointed look from the young Jinchuuriki, but she soon smirked to add something else. ''But I guess I can try to get along at the very least.''

Naruto was grinning from ear to ear after hearing her say that. Even if she didn't say they were friends that didn't mean they couldn't become later, right? After all some of his friends started out hating him at first so this wasn't so bad. ''Is good enough for me.'' Replied the boy.

''Emphasis on 'try', mind you.'' Remarked the girl. After all this was Naruto she was talking about, so she was sure that he was bound to irritate her in the future.

''Don't worry, as long as you give me a chance I can show you that being here isn't so bad.'' Exclaimed the outgoing Naruto.

She seriously doubted he could but she was going to humor him, it wasn't like she had anything else to do as long as she was stuck in this shit hole. However she remembered to mention something else. ''By the way, I saw what you did to my sword.'' Said the girl in a somewhat timid voice, once again holding her forearm and avoiding his gaze. For a moment, Naruto was reminded of Hinata by her behaviour.

''You did?'' Said Naruto, glad that Jiraiya had managed to deliver the scroll to the girl. ''What did you think about it? You like it?'' Asked the blond.

Kurotsuchi gently nodded, still not meeting his eyes. ''That sword is very important to me, so what you did means a lot. It was a nice gesture.'' Finished the girl with a small genuine grin and a slight blush.

Naruto responded with a gentle smile of his own. ''You are welcome.''

Now that the reconciliation was out of the way, the conversation went silent, and once again they stood awkwardly before each other until Naruto cleared his throat to break said silence before it dragged for too long.

''Well, seeing as I don't have much food here, what do you say about going for something to eat?'' Suggested the blond.

Kurotsuchi thought about it for a moment but in the end her hunger won, after all she hadn't eaten anything for a few days now. She guessed that the medics had been giving her vitamins to nourish her when she was unconscious, but it wasn't the same as actually eating. ''Seems good to me, but maybe you could give me a tour of the village first?'' Asked the girl, since now that she thought about it, she was in urgent need of some new garments, as the only change of clothes she had were the ones she was currently wearing , and since she had been using the same outfit for weeks it was really starting to get worn down, not to mention it was starting to smell. Even if she had washed it a few times there was only so much you could do if it was the only thing you wore.

Naruto was delighted to see the girl show some interest in his home, so he was all up for showing her around. ''No problem! I'll put on some clothes and we'll go right away, dattebayo!'' Said the blond before grabbing grabbing some clothes from his closet and rushing into the bathroom to dress privately.

After that, a few minutes later Naruto, Kurotsuchi (and the ANBU guarding her) were wandering Konoha's marketplace with the eager blond giving his comment on each store or building to Kurotsuchi.

''...And in that place, you can buy furniture, though I never bother too much with those things. But I've heard it's a good place.'' Said Naruto as he finished yet another explanation of a random locale.

''Very thrilling.'' Said Kurotsuchi with disinterest, barely paying any mind to the blond's comments as she searched for a clothing store while he ran his mouth. However, she was being distracted by the glares people sent their way. She guessed that the hateful stares were for Naruto since she had refrained from wearing her Iwa headband to not risk people refusing to sell her, though sooner or later it would become common knowledge who she was and in due time it wouldn't matter if she had her forehead protector or not. She supposed that Naruto learned to ignore them, but she wasn't surprised at all by this since she knew perfectly well how Jinchuuriki were usually treated even in their villages. She herself hadn't been fond of Han or Roshi as she had been conditioned since childhood to be wary of them, so she wondered how Naruto managed to be so cheerful and carefree in face of such mistreatment. That was the reason Han and Roshi were kept away and isolated from the rest of the village since they couldn't stand the people's hate, in fact, that was almost always the reason when Jinchuuriki were kept away from everyone, heck, she heard that the Ichibi Jinchuuriki used to be a psycho before he became Kazekage.

But despite that, soon enough she spotted a place that seemed to sell Ninja clothes, so she grabbed Naruto by the sleeve of his jacket to make him stop.

''Whats up? Did anything catch your eye?'' Asked Naruto wondering why the girl decided to stop.

''I want to go there.'' Replied the girl as she pointed at the store.

Naruto glanced curiously to the clothing store and nodded in approval. ''I don't see why not, let's go!'' Said the blond as he led the way, after all, he was gonna be paying for the girl's expenses as Tsunade had ordered.

When they entered, Kurotsuchi could see a wide array of clothes for Shinobi but she could only see Konoha's uniforms mostly, not surprising considering where she was but it would make finding clothes harder. Nevertheless, she managed to find garments just like the ones she used to wear, or at least close enough that the difference would be minimal. she wasn't one for flashy outfits anyway, as simple taste meant efficiency and as a Shinobi that was much more important than fashion. So in the end, she just settled for getting a bout a dozen changes of her usual attire and left it at that. After she bought her new clothes, she promptly sealed them in a scroll before putting it away on her weapons pouch which was empty save for the scroll containing her sword as all her weapons were taken away when she had been imprisoned.

When they exited the store, it was already afternoon, and by now Kurotsuchi's hunger had gotten even worse since they didn't get breakfast in the end.

''I think now we should go for your original idea and get some food, don't you think?'' Asked Kurotsuchi to the Jinchuuriki.

''you are right, I'm starving myself.'' Said the blond with a thoughtful look as he pondered on a good place to go right now. ''I know, how about...''

''Don't say we should get ramen.'' Berated the girl preemptively.

''I wasn't gonna say that!'' Said Naruto in indignation. ''Seriously, I eat other things besides ramen, you know?''

''I'll believe it when I see it.'' Said the Kunoichi in doubt. ''So what do you have in mind?'' Inquired the prodigy.

''I remember you mentioned that you liked barbecue, right? Because I know a good place nearby that sells just that!'' Replied Naruto.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that, she didn't expect the blond to remember that. She herself had forgotten that she had mentioned it to him. ''In that case, what are we waiting for? I don't think that it can compare to the food in Iwa but whatever, beggars can't be choosers.''

Naruto then quickly took Kurotsuchi to a rather big restaurant named Yakiniku Q, which in Kurotsuchi's opinion looked pretty nice. It was of a sizable size and didn't seem like a cheap place, all in all, it surprised the girl that Naruto even went there.

''It actually looks half decent. I didn't expect you to frequent a place like this.'' Commented the girl curiously.

''To be honest, I don't come here that often. I only know about it because sometimes I accompany Ino, Chouji, and Shikamaru.'' Explained the blond.

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding. That made sense, she supposed the blond would just rather stick to his precious ramen if he could help it.

''Naruto! Over here!''

And speaking of the devil, Both teenagers glanced to the source of the voice to find Ino along with Team Ten calling out to the blond, and this time, even Asuma was present.

''What a coincidence! I was wondering if I would see you guys here!'' Exclaimed the blond to his approaching friends.

''Glad to see you so soon after you ditched us so suddenly the last time.'' Berated the Yamanaka.

''I don't think that was Naruto's fault, Ino.'' Chouji defended the blond all the while munching on some chips like always.

''Good to see you again safe and sound, kid. Considering what happened to you.'' Said Asuma in greeting to the boy. Asuma was a tall man with black spiky hair and beard. He wore the usual Konoha uniform with the sole modification of having a white sash in his waist with the symbol of the twelve guardian ninja.

''Is weird to see you here without us having invited you beforehand.'' Added Shikamaru in his usual lazy manner.

''And who is your friend by the way?'' Inquired Ino with a smile as she looked over Kurotsuchi. ''I don't think I've seen you before.'' Said the mind reader to the Iwa girl.

''I'm new around here.'' Kurotsuchi said plainly. She didn't particularly enjoy the way Naruto's friends were eying her suspiciously but she chose not to comment on it.

''Shikamaru, I feel like I've seen her somewhere before.'' Whispered Chouji into the ear of his best friend.

''I feel the same way.'' The genius responded back. He actually had an idea of who she could be. He remembered when Kakashi rushed by the village gates when he came back the other day carrying someone, and despite just barely seeing the person it was enough that he could see the resemblance. Besides, Sakura had told them that they brought an Iwa Kunoichi with them, so it was likely that this girl was the same person even if he couldn't be sure right now. Also, he could barely catch a glimpse of an ANBU hiding in a tree which only made his suspicions stronger.

On the other hand, Asuma was openly staring at the girl with distrust. As an elite Jounin, he had already been informed of the girl and he was going to do what any Shinobi worth their headbands do and be wary around a potential enemy.

Naruto noticed the way Asuma was looking at the Iwa Kunoichi, which made the rest of Team Ten get looks of wonder on their faces because of their teacher's weird behavior, so the Jinchuuriki decided to try something.

''Hey guys, can I talk to you for a minute?'' Asked the blond to his comrades with nervousness at the uncomfortable atmosphere. ''I'll be right back, Kurotsuchi. This will be quick.'' Assured the blond to the girl.

Kurotsuchi just nodded stoically as she had a pretty good guess already on what Naruto was going to discuss with his friends.

All of Team Ten, with the exception of Asuma, got further confused by Naruto's attitude but complied with his request nonetheless.

Once they got out of hearing range from Kurotsuchi, Ino finally talked. ''What's up Naruto? Why did you need to talk to us away from your friend?'' Asked the Yamanaka.

''Please guys, I wanted to ask you to make an effort to get along with Kurotsuchi, okay?'' Pleaded the blond with his hands clapped together in front of him.

''Why do you even need to ask?'' Inquired a confused Chouji. He didn't see a reason why Naruto had to talk to them to convince them to be nice to the girl, I mean wasn't that the common thing to do if you were being polite?

''Because she is an enemy.'' Said Shikamaru with seriousness, which caught the astonished attention of everyone present. ''I am right isn't it, Asuma?'' Said the Shadow user to his Sensei.

Asuma glanced at Shikamaru with surprise. _''So he already managed to deduce it. You are as clever as ever, Shikamaru.''_ thought the man before looking at the wide-eyed faces of his other two students. ''Shikamaru is correct, not only is the girl from Iwa, an enemy nation, but she is was also part of the unit sent to capture Naruto here and kill Jiraiya-Sama. In fact, she and her friends are the reason Naruto went missing a while ago.'' Explained the man sternly.

''She was one of them?'' Asked Chouji still dumbfounded. He didn't think the girl looked like a bad person but looks could be deceiving, especially among ninja.

''She did what!?'' Screeched Ino before turning to Naruto. ''If that's the case, why are you defending her?! Don't you see that is dangerous to have someone like that walking around?!'' Said the alarmed girl.

Naruto lifted his hands in front of him in a placatory manner. ''Come on guys, she isn't that bad. If you get to know her I'm sure you'll like her.'' Assured the Jinchuuriki.

''Like hell she isn't! She almost killed you!'' Said the still enraged Ino.

''Ino is right, Naruto.'' Said Shikamaru with the same stern face. ''Trusting someone like her isn't smart.''

Naruto looked deflated to hear his old friends bash the girl, but he still attempted to reason with them. ''Guys, I know it it doesn't look good, and yes, she did something bad to me, terrible even.'' The blond started to explain before he glanced at the ground sadly as he elaborated. ''But she has helped me before and I got to know her better, and I realized that she is a good girl at that has just made some mistakes. She was going to be imprisoned actually, but I managed to convince Tsunade-Baachan not to.'' Naruto saw that their friends had toughtful looks, which meant that they were considering it, so he continued. ''But even then, now she is captive in our village with not a single friend besides me and a lot of people here would gladly watch her die just because of who she is when she doesn't deserve it. Please guys, as a friend I only ask you to give it a shot.''

By the time Naruto finished, the looks of Team Ten had softened considerably, they still looked wary but at least they didn't look outright hostile anymore and they all where debating on what to do about this situation.

Chouji didn't know what to think. Now that he knew that the girl tried to kill one of his friends that made it harder for him to trust her, but on the other hand, he also knew that as Shinobi they sometimes were ordered to do unsavory things for the sake of a mission. So maybe, the girl was put into a similar situation and now she regretted it? Anyway, there was no way to tell unless they gave her a chance. ''Well, she doesn't seem so bad, and considering that you were the one she wronged, if you are willing to forgive her then I guess I can give her the benefit of the doubt.'' Said Chouji to Naruto with a smile.

''Thank you, Chouji.'' Replied Naruto with a grateful smile of his own.

Ino gave a deep sigh before she gave her opinion. ''Well, it wouldn't be the first time you befriend someone that used to want you dead, and it turned out fine in the past, so I guess I can give this a shot too.'' Said a grinning Ino.

''Thanks a lot to you too, Ino. I mean it.'' Said Naruto with the same gratitude.

''Don't mention it. Besides, having more girl friends is always good, right?'' Replied Ino with a wink.

''And what about you, Shikamaru?'' Said Naruto to the lazy genius and everyone else turned to look expectantly at the Nara.

Shikamaru thought on the issue at hand for a moment longer, when he finally also gave a resigned sigh. ''I guess I can at least try to evaluate her character before writing her off completely.

Naruto gave all his friends a heartwarming smile. ''Everyone, this means a lot to me and I'm sure to Kurotsuchi too. You'll see she is a good girl.''

''Okay, since my students seem no not have a problem with it, then I'll try to not be so harsh on her.'' Reassured Asuma.

''Awesome! What do you guys think about eating together, then?'' Said the eager blond.

''I don't see why not, right guys?'' Asked Asuma to the trio, and seeing that none refused, it was practically an agreement.

Now that everything was settled, they all returned to the restaurant's entrance to find Kurotsuchi leaning on the wall with her arms crossed waiting for them.

''You done?'' Asked the girl tentatively.

''Yep, all good.'' Replied the Jinchuuriki in excitement. ''By the way, my friends will be joining us so I hope you don't mind''

Kurotsuchi internally groaned, she didn't feel compelled to socialize with any of Konoha's inhabitants. Naruto she could tolerate since she was already used to doing it and didn't have a choice by this point, but she wasn't interested in getting to know his friends. However, she wasn't in any position to be rejecting such invitations So she just decided to comply. ''Sure, no problem.'' Said the girl unenthusiastically.

So with that, everyone made their way together inside the restaurant and found a nice table that accommodated everyone. The tables were short and close to the ground and one had to sit on small cushions on the floor to use as seats. So everyone sat down, and after quickly ordering a large portion of meat, they now sat cooking the small pieces to their own liking with Naruto telling stories of his training to his friends.

''...And that's how I made the Odama Rasengan. You should see Ero-Sennin's training, he is a slave driver, I tell you.'' Said Naruto as he finished another one of his tales.

''I know what you mean, Asuma-Sensei might not work us hard all the time, but when he does I can barely move for a few days.'' Said Chouji before he swallowed a half cooked piece of meat.

''Very interesting and all that Naruto, but I believe we haven't been properly introduced to your friend yet.'' Said Ino as she looked to the Iwa girl and attempted to break the ice with her. Ino being Ino, she couldn't help but be curious about Naruto's new female friend, even if she was from Iwa.

''You are right!'' Said a startled Naruto when he realized that he had yet to introduce them. ''Kurotsuchi, these are my friends, the members of Team Ten.'' Said the blond as he got Kurotsuchi's attention who just glanced at him giving him an attentive look.

''This lazy guy right here is Shikamaru.'' Said Naruto as he pointed at the Nara.

''Hi.'' Said Shikamaru plainly, seemingly not caring about being called lazy.

''He is Chouji.'' Said Naruto as he also pointed at his chubby friend.

''Yo.'' Responded Chouji with a wave before he put yet another piece of meat in his mouth.

''And I'm Yamanaka Ino, nice to meet you!'' Said Ino cheerfully, preferring to introduce herself personally.

''Right...and finally we have Asuma-Sensei!'' Finished Naruto as he presented the leader of Team Ten.

''A pleasure.'' Responded the man with a serious face and a lit cigarette in his mouth.

''I'm Kurotsuchi.'' Said the girl with little emotion as she cooked a few pieces of meat herself as she showed no interest in the interaction.

Asuma and Shikamaru narrowed their eyes at the girl's disrespect while Chouji just continued to eat casually and Ino didn't seem to mind.

Naruto was starting to sweat due to his nerves as Kurotsuchi wasn't even making an effort to give a good impression, and he knew that the girl would benefit greatly from having some friends in Konoha if she was going to stay for a while. Not to mention, that if his friends didn't like her it could cause tensions with him later down the road as he had to be around the girl.

''So, Kurotsuchi what's your age? You look around the same age as us.'' Said Ino curiously, still attempting to strike a conversation with the girl.

''I'm seventeen. I'll turn eighteen soon'' Answered Kurotsuchi as she grabbed a few pieces of meat to put on her plate.

''Really?! That's great! We are all fifteen ourselves, so we aren't that far apart! Well, with the exception of Asuma-Sensei of course, he is getting old.'' Joked the platinum blonde.

''Hey, I'm still quiet young, you know.'' Said Asuma defensively.

''Yeah, whatever.'' Said Ino brushing off Asuma's comment. ''And by the way, what is your rank? We turned Chunin a while ago and you seem like a capable person.'' Ino asked curiously, and the question even got Asuma and Shikamaru's attention as it would be useful to know how strong the girl was should she end up being dangerous.

Kurotsuchi actually looked at Ino this time and saw the expectant faces of the rest of her team. She had a good idea of why they were so interested in knowing something like that but she still answered truthfully. ''I'm a Jounin.'' Said Kurotsuchi, seeing no reason to lie since it was better that they knew she was strong to make them wary of messing with her.

''Wow, Jounin already?'' Asked Chouji with shock.

Asuma and Shikamaru didn't react surprised at all, mainly because Asuma was already informed of her rank when he was told about the girl and Shikamaru had already guessed that the girl had to be good if she had been part of the squad sent to fight Jiraiya.

''Impressive!'' Said the dumbfounded Ino. ''We all had a rough time even getting to Chunin so you must be very skilled.'' Complimented the Yamanaka.

''Uhh...thanks, I guess.'' Said Kurotsuchi with uncertainty at how to act towards the friendly girl.

''In fact, the only Jounin around our age is Neji, but besides him everyone else is Chunin.'' Informed Ino before getting a thoughtful look. ''But come to think of it, Naruto, aren't you still a Genin?'' Asked Ino as she addressed the now embarrassed Jinchuuriki.

Kurotsuchi looked at the blond sitting beside her with a look of amazement, for the first time showing some emotion since she met up with Team Ten. ''What?! You are still a Genin!?''

Naruto blushed with shame at being put on the spot. ''Hey, is not my fault! I didn't get to take the exam since I was away with Ero-Sennin?!'' Said Naruto trying to explain himself as Ino wondered if she should have brought that up.

Kurotsuchi stared silently at the blond for a moment before she burst into laughter. ''Hahahahahaha! You are still a Genin! hahaha!'' Said the hysterical girl with a finger pointing at Naruto, with tears in her eyes.

''Knock it off, is not that big of a deal!'' Said Naruto in indignation as his voice was muffled by her laugh. Of course, the girl was going to use any excuse she could find to make fun of him and was precisely because of this that he didn't mention his rank earlier to her.

Kurotsuchi continued to laugh without caring about what the blond said. However, she wasn't just laughing to make fun of the boy, but also because she went through so much trouble for a Genin. Iwa had sent an entire battalion to ensure the capture of the Kyuubi just to fail miserably and got most of them killed, and resulted in a chain of events that left her imprisoned with the biggest enemies of her home, and all that for a Genin! So right now she didn't know if she was laughing at Naruto or at herself, probably more of the latter.

Meanwhile, Team Ten stared in wonder and confusion at the weird interaction between Naruto and his supposed new friend. For them, it was weird seeing how she behaved with him considering how vehemently Naruto had spoken on her behalf when he convinced them to give her a chance, but Naruto always had a knack for befriending weird people and having even more weird relationships with them.

After a couple of minutes, Kurotsuchi's laughter finally died off. ''Oh man, I needed a good laugh.'' Said the girl as she wiped off a tear from her eye.

''You do have to admit is pretty funny, though.'' Said Ino to Naruto trying to keep the mood light.

''Glad to see that you are having fun at my expense.'' Said Naruto with annoyance.

''Don't be so touchy my little Genin. Is all in good fun.'' Said Kurotsuchi cheekily.

''You don't have to worry, we always make fun of Naruto once in a while.'' Said Ino with a grin.

''Gee, thanks.'' Said the orange-loving ninja with a deadpan expression.

''We heard that you are from Iwa.'' Said Shikamaru as he addressed Kurotsuchi, testing the water to see more of the girl's character.

''I am. You have a problem with that?'' Said Kurotsuchi with narrowed eyes.

''Just making sure I'm well informed. I personally don't mind where you are from.'' Said the Nara with a shrug.

''I think it's pretty cool.'' Added Chouji. ''I have never talked with someone from there before.''

''Right?!'' Ino agreed with Chouji. ''I bet you have all kinds of awesome stories about it since we are unfamiliar with the place!'' Suggested the Yamanaka.

Kurotsuchi just kept her glare and stayed silent as she ate. She thought they were delusional if they expected that she was going to say anything about her home to a bunch of enemy ninja.

''Just drop it, Ino. It's obvious that she is not comfortable talking about it.'' Asuma scolded his female student.

''Aww, come on. I'm really curious.'' Complained the Yamanaka before turning to Kurotsuchi again. ''Are there any cute boys in Iwa?'' Ino insisted on her questions.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that. Cute boys? Really? That was what the girl was interested in knowing about her home? She guessed that Ino's priorities as a Kunoichi had to be skewed. Besides, she couldn't really think of any boy back home that caught her attention, and even if she were to find them attractive, most boys in her village were either intimidated by her tomboy mannerisms or her relation to the Tsuchikage; or conversely they tried to woo her thinking they could get benefits due to her status and the possibility of her being next in line for the Tsuchikage's position. Not to mention that the last time she was interested in someone was when she was just a child and had a crush on some asshole that ended up deserting her village to become a mad bomber. So all in all, checking out 'cute' boys wasn't something she found productive or worthwhile.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. It was just like Ino to go around being nosy.

''Ino, I'm with Asuma-Sensei here, you should not be asking things she doesn't want to answer.'' Said Chouji when he noticed the displeased face Kurotsuchi was making at Ino's insistent inquires.

''Hey, I'm just trying to get to know her better.'' Ino excused her behavior.

''You could find a way to make it less annoying, though.'' Said Shikamaru with boredom.

''Nobody asked you Shikamaru!'' Ino berated the shadow user.

Kurotsuchi had had enough and loudly slammed her chopsticks on her plate which got Team Ten's attention and they went silent as they looked at her, and even Naruto stopped paying attention to the dispute to look at Kurotsuchi just as surprised.

The pink-eyed girl sighed before she started speaking. ''You don't have to keep trying to get along with me. I know perfectly well that Naruto convinced you to be friendly, am I right?'' Asked the girl and the silence of everyone present was the sole answer she needed. ''You probably don't like me and that's fine, I don't expect you to, and frankly I don't care. I only expect you to not bother me and I will do the same, okay?'' Said Kurotsuchi as she looked intently at the serious faces of the silent Team Ten. ''It was nice to meet you.'' Finished the girl as she stood up and left the table before she approached the exit of the restaurant.

Naruto looked at her retreating form, too stunned that he didn't react for a moment, but as soon as he did, he got a look of panic, as he too, stood up hastily. ''Hey wait a minute, Kurotsuchi!'' Shouted Naruto at the girl as he started rushing to catch up with her, but halfway through he came back to leave some money on the table. ''Sorry guys, I gotta go! It was good seeing you!'' Was the last thing Naruto said to Team Ten as he also exited the restaurant.

Asuma, Chouji, Shikamaru, and Ino stared speechless at the two empty spaces that Naruto and Kurotsuchi left as they replayed on their heads what just happened.

''See what you did, Ino?'' Shikamaru scolded his teammate.

''Me?! I didn't do anything wrong! Is not my fault the new girl has an attitude problem!'' The indignant Ino defended herself.

''In a way it couldn't be helped, she is being forced to coexist with people she considers enemies after all.'' Said Asuma calmly. ''But it is true that she could use a change in her conduct is she is to be living here.'' Said the older man with a sigh.

''Exactly, that's what I mean!'' Exclaimed Ino, loudly. ''I get it that she doesn't want to be here but if she doesn't have a choice she should at least try to make the best of it, right?''

''I don't know, she may be rough around the edges but I think is too early to tell how she is'' Said Chouji still debating on what he thought of the girl.

''Well, I guess that we are done here for now, so I'll just take my leave.'' Said Shikamaru as he also stood up from the table.

''Going to see Temari-San again, I take it?'' Teased Ino with a smirk.

''Not of your business where I'm going, woman.'' Said Shikamaru with a blush. He did intend to go see Temari since she was returning to Sunagakure the next day, but he wished Ino wasn't butting into his affairs.

Ino continued to smirk knowingly. She just loved to screw with the Nara, in all honestly she thought it was cute that Shikamaru was interested in Temari, and the fact that they were from separate villages just made it all the more interesting to her as in her opinion it made it more romantic to have two people love each other despite the cultural differences. As she though about that, she widened her eyes when a thought crossed her mind that she had never considered, and turned to look at the direction Naruto and Kurotsuchi had left. _''wait! could it be possible that...nah. That is way too far-fetched.''_ The idea was endearing but there was no way it would ever happen. Right?

-Streets of Konoha-

''Kurotsuchi, wait!'' Said Naruto upset as he finally caught up to the girl on the street.

Kurotsuchi just gave a side glance to the blond as if nothing was wrong. ''You are slow, idiot. And stop making a fuss, will ya?''

Naruto looked at her severely. ''I'm in my right to make a fuss! What was that back there!? They were just trying to get to know you, you didn't have to make a scene like that!''

However Kurotsuchi just continued to stare impassively at the blond. ''They are your friends Naruto, not mine. And as I said back there, I have no interest in being friends with Konoha ninja, even more so if they probably dislike me just the same.''

''Is not that simple! They can be your friends, too!'' Insisted the Jinchuuriki. ''Your stay here would be much more comfortable for you if you would just let yourself have some more people to get along with!''

''I may be interested in the future if I'm desperate enough, but right now I would rather be alone, well as alone as I can be anyway.'' Said the girl plainly as she started walking away again. ''But at least I did manage to eat properly so not everything was bad. Maybe now we could continue with the tour?'' Suggested the Kunoichi as she glanced back to her guide.

Naruto looked at her and gave a resigned sigh. ''Fine. I'll show you the rest of the village.'' He decided to drop the topic as he knew that Kurotsuchi wasn't going to listen to him, she was stubborn like that.

After a couple of hours Naruto had already shown Kurotsuchi most of the locales in the marketplace, so he decided to make a quick stop to the Ninja Academy.

''And this is the Academy! Here is where I graduated to become an awesome ninja!'' Said Naruto as he pointed to the place.

Kurotsuchi looked at the building, unimpressed. It was just a standard large building painted white and red with the Konoha and Land of Fire symbols above the entrance. Aside from the building, she noted a single swing in a tree in front of said Academy.

''So, what do you think? Pretty cool, uh?'' Asked Naruto expectantly to the girl.

''Is alright, I guess.'' Kurotsuchi plainly answered.

As they were looking at the building Naruto suddenly got an alarmed look on his face. ''Oh crap, I completely forgot I haven't seen Iruka-Sensei!'' Said the Blond with severity.

''Who is that? Your Academy teacher or something?'' Asked the girl with curiosity.

''Yea, he was my best teacher at the academy, and even now and then we always make sure to get together to catch up.'' Explained Naruto before he grabbed Kurotsuchi's forearm and ran towards the building. ''Come, let's see if Iruka-sensei is there right now!''

''What did I tell you before about letting me walk by myself!?'' Complained the Kunoichi as she was being dragged by the blond.

As they made their way through the halls of the Academy, Naruto finally stopped at a certain classroom door and knocked on it. The place was mostly deserted since classes ended over a couple hours ago, so Naruto doubted Iruka would be busy.

''Stop doing that!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she brusquely freed her arm from Naruto's hold. ''Don't go doing thoughtless things like that, Idiot! I don't even know if I'm allowed to be here without your Hokage ripping me a new one.'' She was pretty sure that the Academy wasn't off limits, as long as she didn't go through the archives or spied on the curriculum or something like that, but she didn't want to risk it.

''We won't be here for long, so I'm sure there won't be a problem.'' Said Naruto trying to reassure the tomboy.

Before Kurotsuchi could talk back to Naruto, the door opened to reveal the surprised face of Umino Iruka. ''Naruto? My god, how have you grown!'' Said the man as he smiled warmly at his little brother figure. Iruka was a man with brown hair and dark eyes, he kept his hair in a spiky ponytail and he had a scar running along the bridge of his nose.

Naruto returned the man's smile at seeing his old teacher again. ''Good to see you too, Iru-Ahh!''

Naruto was interrupted as the man embraced him in a tight hug not unlike the one Tsunade had given him earlier but this one wasn't as strong. ''I'm glad to see you safe, Naruto. I heard that you were attacked by a squad of Iwa Shinobi and you went missing as a result.'' Said the man as he embraced his little brother figure before he stepped back to smile at his former student. ''I was informed that you were back, but I couldn't find you when I went to look for you, so I'm glad that you came to find me instead.''

Naruto smiled brightly at his former teacher and gave him a thumbs up. ''Don't worry, Iruka-Sensei. It takes more than that to put me down, dattebayo!''

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi despite feeling happy for the blond to be reunited with someone that was obvious very close to him, she couldn't help but being nervous and on edge around the man after hearing him mention her previous attempt on the blond's life.

Iruka was happy to see that the boy's outgoing attitude hadn't changed in the years he was away. ''And I see you made a new friend. Hi there, nice to meet you. I'm Umino Iruka, and you are?'' Said the man as he finally noticed Kurotsuchi standing behind Naruto.

''I'm Kurotsuchi.'' Said the pink eyed girl with reservation.

''She is new in the village so I'm showing her around!'' Said the blond cheerfully, oblivious to the girl's discomfort.

''Oh, is that so?'' Asked Iruka, glad that Naruto was making new friends, and with a girl no less. ''Then, I hope you enjoy your stay in Konoha, miss. Where are you from if you don't mind me asking?'' Asked Iruka cordially.

Kurotsuchi looked warily at the man before answering. ''I-I'm from Iwagakure.''

At the information, Iruka couldn't help but frown for a second before he forced a smile. ''Really? That is quiet unusual. Is not every day that we get people from there.'' Said the teacher with suspicion.

''And she is a Kunoichi too!'' Said Naruto eagerly.

Kurotsuchi shot Naruto a glare as he was inadvertently just making things worse. Even if she didn't care for making friends with Naruto's acquaintances that also didn't mean that she wanted them actively after her head.

Iruka narrowed his eyes at the information. Had the girl been a civilian then even if it was weird for her to move to Konoha it wasn't impossible, but a Shinobi from Iwa would never come willingly. ''So, how did you guys meet?'' Asked the Chunin inquisitively.

After Iruka asked that particular question, did Naruto realize the problem about telling Iruka. Telling his friends was one thing since even if they didn't agree with him regarding Kurotsuchi they had no option but to just roll with it. Iruka was a different matter since he could be a little bit overprotective and Naruto could end up with the man all up in his hair if he knew that he was going to be spending most of his days alongside a former enemy.

''Y-you see Iruka-Sensei, emmm...'' Stammered Naruto as he tried to word it in a way that didn't sound so bad.

''I was part of that 'Iwa squad' sent to capture him.'' Said the girl, earning her an upset look from Naruto as if asking her what was she doing. She supposed that it was better to just go out and say it outright because Naruto had done such poor job so far of breaking the ice, so she guessed there was no going around this topic.

Iruka had an unreadable expression on his face upon hearing that the girl was one of Naruto's attackers. He knew that the girl being in the village walking around and not behind bars somehow had to be Naruto's doing as the blond always tended to get himself into these bizarre situations. But having an enemy Kunoichi around, especially one that already tried to kill the boy, was just too much for the Chunin. ''I see...''

The serious look Iruka was giving the girl made Naruto nervous. ''Sooo, I guess I'll see you later, Iruka-Sensei. I still have a lot of places to show Kurotsuchi.'' Said the Genin to break the tense air around them, deciding it would be better if he came to see Iruka later by himself. So Naruto turned around and prepared to leave with Kurotsuchi in tow.

''Wait, Naruto.'' Said Iruka in alarm which made the duo halt. ''Maybe it would be a good idea for me to accompany you, you know so I can help you with the sight seeing.'' Suggested the man hastily.

''Don't worry about it, Iruka-Sensei. I got this'' Said Naruto with a nervous smile to convince the Chunin to let him be.

''Are you sure? It wouldn't be a problem, you know? I'm pretty much finished already with my tasks so I have some free time.'' Insisted the teacher.

Kurotsuchi frowned, once again feeling uncomfortable. It was pretty obvious that the man didn't trust her around the blond and he wanted to keep an eye on her himself if he was able to.

However, Iruka still persisted. ''I insist. After all, it's been a while since...''

''Sorry, Iruka-Sensei. Gotta go!'' Naruto interrupted Iruka as he quickly took hold of Kurotsuchi's arm again and rushed for the exit to keep the man from responding back.

Once outside ,Naruto gave a sigh of relief. ''Sorry about that, Iruka-Sensei can be a bit overbearing at times.'' Said the Jinchuuriki with an apologetic smile.

''I can see that.'' Said Kurotsuchi dryly as she glanced back to the Academy to spot an ANBU entering through one of the windows. She deduced that Iruka had gotten the attention of one of the ANBU keeping tabs on her to ask him to tighten their watch or something like that.

''But why did you have to tell him that!?'' berated the blond remembering the rash way the girl had informed the man of who she was.

''You wanted me to lie?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''No! But you didn't have to say it like that!'' Naruto scolded her.

Kurotsuchi just shrugged off the boy's concerns.''Whatever. What's done is done.'' Even if the way she informed the man wasn't optimal, she still preferred to know up front that the man was up in her case rather than have him know later about her and she would have been ignorant of the fact that Iruka was keeping tabs on her, at least this way she was sure.

Naruto couldn't help but glare at the girl as this was yet again another interaction with his friends that she messed up.

''Oh come on, don't look at me like that. Besides, we still have much left to see so we better keep going.'' Said the girl casually as she resumed walking.

Naruto wasn't too happy about the girl ignoring his concerns just like that but decided to just drop it. ''Fine.''

Naruto walked silently beside the girl as he pondered on his two fruitless encounters with his friends. He could admit that he was a bit miffed towards the girl as she didn't seem to be putting much effort into being sociable and didn't seem to care on top of it. So needles to say, he was frustrated as he felt that his efforts to help Kurotsuchi were being undermined by the very same girl he was putting so much effort into helping.

Kurotsuchi gave the silent Jinchuuriki a side glance and wondered if she was being unfair to the boy. She didn't want to seem unappreciative of the things the blond had been doing for her lately, but she just couldn't help it; she had been brought up hating Konoha and all it stood for, so she couldn't just start being best friends with its citizens just like that. No, it wasn't that simple to ignore years of conditioning. Even so, she couldn't help but feel a bit guilty.

But despite the setbacks they experienced, they continued their way through the village, and much of the rest of the day consisted of Naruto showing more locales to Kurotsuchi. He showed her a few more stores, some parks, the location of some clan compounds, etc. Now as one of the last stops, Naruto showed the girl some of the training grounds.

''And this is one of the training grounds I sometimes used with my team. In fact, here is where I passed my exam to become a Genin.'' Said Naruto with pride to the girl as they both walked through the pasture of the training field.

Kurotsuchi looked at her surroundings in mild curiosity. Even if the training field technically wasn't anything special, she had to admit that the green foliage of the surrounding trees coupled with the equally as colorful grass and the chirping of the birds, she found the place to be pretty nice actually. In fact, she wouldn't mind coming here to relax once in a while. ''I kinda like this place, it isn't bad at all.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a relaxed smile.

''See? I told you we had cool places in Konoha!'' Said the blond happily.

As much as she didn't want to say anything good about Konoha, Kurotsuchi had to begrudgingly agree that the village had a good scenery at the very least. In Iwa they didn't have these kinds of sights, so she could say that this was definitely one of the better places that Naruto had shown her. Now that she thought about it, a little break from all the walking around seemed like a good idea, so she approached a row of trees on the edge of the clearing and sat down with her back leaning on the trunk as she gave a content sigh. Truth be told, she hadn't completely recovered her energy from all the hardships of the previous days, so resting once in a while like this would do her well.

Naruto watched the girl sitting down against the tree and tilted his head a bit to the side in confusion. ''Is everything all right?'' Asked the blond.

Kurotsuchi nodded calmly before answering. ''I'm just resting for a bit and you should take notes since you can't seem to stay still for more than a few minutes at a time.'' Said the girl as she shifted position and rested an arm on her knee.

''If you want to rest then I think is fine.'' Said Naruto as he scratched the back of his head, before he too, sat leaning in a tree just a couple of feet away from Kurotsuchi.

They both stayed like that silently for a couple minutes just enjoying the serenity of the moment. Well, at least Kurotsuchi did; Naruto wasn't exactly the most patient person around and was already starting to fidget and glanced to the girl beside him just to find her completely calm and relaxed.

''So, did you do this often in Iwa?'' Asked Naruto trying to find any topic to talk about instead of just sitting around doing nothing.

''You mean finding quiet places to rest?'' Asked the girl as she looked over to the boy who answered with a nod. ''Sometimes, not that much actually. But now I wish I had done it more when I could.'' finished the tomboy with a solemn face.

Naruto looked sadly at the girl. He didn't consider that it might be insensible to remind the girl of her home so soon when she was stuck on an enemy Nation. ''I'm sure you'll be able to do it again, so don't worry too much'' Reassured the Genin.

Kurotsuchi scoffed with incredulity at his words. ''You don't have to try and make me feel better, I already resigned to the fact that I will probably spend the rest of my days here.'' Said the short-haired Kunoichi with melancholy.

''Don't be like that, I'll find a way to get you back home. In fact, once I become Hokage I'll make sure you return to Iwa.'' Said Naruto trying to comfort her.

''Yay, I can't wait.'' Replied the girl dryly. If her only hope of seeing her village again was to wait for Naruto to become Hokage she might as well get used to being a prisoner forever.

Naruto frowned, depressed at the girl's conduct. He knew that she wasn't the type to just give up easily like himself, which made the way she behaved a good indicator of how hopeless she felt. ''But you may not have to wait that long, I'll think of something before that.'' Insisted the boy.

''Naruto, I told you already, I appreciate that you are trying to help me I really do, but let's not delude ourselves here; the fact that I'm not rotting in a cell is already a miracle in itself, it would be foolish to expect too much more. So instead, just please let me enjoy this moment of peace.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she closed her eyes to do just that. It was true, moments like this to just clear her mind of worries were rare nowadays. Right now she wasn't in a cell, or in an unfamiliar apartment that she knew wasn't her home, neither was she walking through the streets of an enemy village as the judgmental eyes of their people stared at her in hatred. Right now she was free of all that if only for a limited time.

Naruto stared at the girl a few second more and was about to follow the girl's example when someone else entered the clearing.

''Hello guys, here you are.'' Said the voice of one Hatake Kakashi as he calmly approached the duo.

''Kakashi-Sensei? What are you doing here?'' Asked Naruto to the copy ninja with intrigue.

Kurotsuchi opened her eyes to stare at the cyclops with an annoyed look. _''So much for relaxing.''_

''I hope I'm not interrupting, but you don't have to worry, I won't stay long.'' Said the man with his ever laid back tone.

''Is that so?'' Asked Kurotsuchi still sitting at the base of the tree.

Kakashi glanced at the girl, suddenly remembering something. ''Now that I think about it, we were never formally introduced.'' Mentioned the Sharingan user.

''I know who you are, Hatake Kakashi.'' Said the Kunoichi with seriousness. ''You are pretty well-known in Iwa. And you already know who I am anyway, so I fail to see the need for an introduction.''

Kakashi closed his lone eye as he smiled behind his mask. ''Still, I wanted to say nice to meet you.''

''Likewise.'' Said the Pink eyes girl lacking the same friendliness.

''Also, I know that your stay here did not exactly happen in the most favorable of circumstances but I still feel the need to welcome you to Konoha.'' Added the silver-haired man cordially.

However, Kurotsuchi just stared silently at the man with an unreadable expression at his welcoming words.

''No need to be so wary all the time, you know? Think of this as a sort of extended vacation.'' Joked the man good-naturedly, but Kurotsuchi didn't seem at all amused.

Not wanting to risk yet another interaction between the girl and his friends going south again, Naruto decided to cut it short. ''So, what did you want me for, Kakashi-sensei?''

At the blond's question, Kakashi stopped addressing the Kunoichi and looked at the boy instead. ''Oh yea, I almost forgot. Naruto, I wanted to let you know that tomorrow we'll have a team exercise at first hour in the morning.''

''A team exercise?'' Repeated the boy.

Kakashi nodded in affirmation. ''Yea, in this very same training ground in fact. Actually, we were supposed to do this exercise as soon as you got back, but due to recent events, I decided to postpone it until now.''

''And what kind of exercise will be, Kakashi-sensei?'' Inquired the curious Genin.

''You'll have to wait to find out.'' Informed the Jounin before he pulled the new icha icha book that Jiraiya had so kindly given to him. ''Anyway, that's all I had to say. So please, enjoy the rest of your day, I'll be seeing you guys later.'' Finished the copy ninja before he started casually walking away giggling from time to time at the explicit content of the book in his hands.

Kurotsuchi meanwhile, was at a loss for words as she watched the man walk away. _''Did the famous copy ninja Kakashi just pulled a well-known erotica book in front of us and went away giggling like a pervert as if it was nothing?''_ And the worst part was that in Iwa they had to be afraid of him.

Now that Kakashi was gone, Naruto gave his attention to the tomboy once more. ''Hey Kurotsuchi, what do you say if we go get some dinner?''

Kurotsuchi sighed at the blond's question. _''Of course, Naruto wouldn't be able to stay still for long periods of time.''_ ''Fine'' Said the girl plainly. It was almost evening already so getting some supper didn't seem like a bad idea anyway.

So without further ado, both teenagers got up from their spot and proceeded to walk back into the streets of Konoha, and in just a few minutes they were already in front of Ichiraku ramen.

 _''Why am I not surprised?''_ Thought the girl with a deadpan expression as she stared at the ramen stand.

''I know what you are probably thinking, but I promise you that they make the best ramen in the world!'' Exclaimed the boy when he saw the face the tomboy was making.

''There you are, Boss!''

Both teenagers saw three young Genin emerge from one side of the building. Kurotsuchi noted that one of the boys had brown hair in a bowl cut and wore glasses; the girl had orange hair that she kept in two upward pigtails and her cheeks had a rosy tint; and finally, the last boy and the one who seemed to be the leader, had spiky brown hair and wore a green jacket with a blue scarf around his neck.

''Konohamaru, is that you?'' Asked Naruto in surprise at seeing how much the little boy he knew had grown.

''Sure I am!'' Said the boy with a thumb pointing at himself. ''When we heard that you were back I knew that the only thing I needed to do to meet you was to wait by Ichiraku and sooner or later you would show up!''

''So rude of you, Naruto-Nii to not tell us you were back!'' Said Moegi as Udon nodded agreein with her.

''Heh heh, I'm sorry guys, I've had so much stuff going on that it slipped my mind.'' Said the blond with an apologetic smile as he scratched the back of his head while Kurotsuchi was just glad that they weren't paying attention to her as she was getting tired of introductions by this point.

''No excuses, Boss! Now you leave me no choice but to get you with my new and improved technique!'' Said Konohamaru, and in a puff of smoke, the young Genin transformed into a naked and well-endowed girl leaning towards Naruto with a wink and caressing her legs suggestively.

''Naruto-Sama, what do you think of my new Sexy Jutsu?'' Purred the fake beauty, stunning the Iwa Kunoichi and the rest of the Konohamaru corps.

Kurotsuchi was agape at what she was seeing. She couldn't believe that this little boy was using such a vulgar transformation and had the gal of calling it a Ninja technique. But she was pleasantly surprised at seeing Naruto looking at the shameful display with a stern look on his face.

Konohamaru dropped his transformation as he stood there with a grin that was soon erased when Naruto walked up to him with a serious face and put a hand on his shoulder.

''Konohamaru, I'm not a little kid anymore and neither are you. I don't want you using that Jutsu again, you hear me?'' Said the blond, surprising Kurotsuchi as he for once showed some maturity. ''That technique is obsolete! I'll show you later the new Sexy Jutsu I have created which blows that one out of the water!'' Boasted the Jinchuuriki with pride and not an ounce of shame.

Kurotsuchi was horrified, not only did Naruto approve of that Jutsu but he was the one that taught it to the kid?!

With urgency, Kurotsuchi waved at the purple-haired ANBU that was keeping watch on a nearby tree to caught her attention, and once she got it, the Iwa girl punched her own palm with a fist as she looked directly at the ANBU before she signaled the blond in front of her, effectively asking permission to hit the Jinchuuriki.

The long haired ANBU seemed to think it over for a moment before she nodded in approval, as she was sure that the Hokage wouldn't have a problem with it this one time.

Naruto was busy boasting about his new Sexy Jutsu to Konohamaru when he felt a solid hit connect with the back of his head that sent him face first to meet the ground.

''What the fuck are you doing teaching that shit to kids, you moron!?'' Yelled the enraged girl.

''Hey, you don't have any right to be punching the boss!'' ''Yea!'' Said Konohamaru backed up by his other two friends.

''Easy there, guys! I'm fine. There is no reason to start a fight.'' Said Naruto in appeasement as he got in the middle of the Iwa girl and the Konohamaru corps, he was more worried about the girl getting herself back into a cell than the bump on his head.

''And who is she anyway? I have never seen this girl before.'' Inquired the angry kid.

''Oh right! she is Kurotsuchi!'' Said Naruto with a grin as he introduced the tomboy, happy to find a topic to distract them all from conflict. ''She is new in the village.''

Konohamaru looked with a raised eyebrow at the serious girl before he got a sly grin on his face. ''Oh, I see how it is, boss. You got so awesome that even girls from other villages can't help but fall for your charms. Though, I think you need some work to do on your standards, boss.'' Said Konohamaru as he evaluated Kurotsuchi. He found her to be a bit too androgynous for his taste but whatever floated Naruto's boat he supposed.

The blond Genin's eyes widened in panic as he looked over to the pink-eyed girl to gauge her reaction.

Said girl just stared impassively at Konohamaru before she gave the little boy a pleasant grin. ''What a funny little guy.'' Said the Kunoichi as she walked over to the boy and put a hand on his shoulder. ''You must be so popular with the girls yourself.'' Complimented the Iwa girl still keeping her smile.

''What can I say? I don't like to brag but I may become as popular as the boss someday.'' boasted Konohamaru sheepishly.

''I see. Then I'll give you some advice.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she crouched a bit to be at eye level with the boy.

''What is it?'' Asked Konohamaru curiously, and as soon as he did, the look on Kurotsuchi's face became murderous and the grip of her hand on his shoulder got so tight that it actually hurt.

''If you want to live a long life you better stay away from me. And if you ever insult me again, I'll make sure no one ever finds your body.'' Said the Iwa Kunoichi with a cold tone as she focused all her killing intent on the terrified Konohamaru. ''Now get out of here before you get hurt, little boy.'' Kurotsuchi knew that she would never be able to fulfill her threat or the Hokage would ensure that she never saw the light of day again, but the next best thing was to make Konohamaru shit his pants.

Konohamaru's face paled at the girl's threat and nodded brusquely before he started walking away rapidly. ''Let's go Udon, Moegi! I'll see you later, Naruto-Nii!'' Yelled Konohamaru as he got away.

''Hey Konohamaru-kun, wait!'' Said Moegi before she and Udon started chasing after the scared boy and left Naruto and Kurotsuchi alone once more.

Naruto sighed in relief that things didn't go worse than they did, yes that could have gone better but it also could have gone much worse. ''That Konohamaru always getting himself into trouble.'' commented the blond. ''Anyway, now we can go to Ichiraku!'' Said Naruto with excitement before he noticed that Kurotsuchi was walking away in the opposite direction. ''Uh? Kurotsuchi, what are you doing!?'' The blond yelled at her.

Kurotsuchi stopped for a moment and glanced back to look at the Jinchuuriki. ''I lost my appetite, you can go by yourself. Besides, I don't hang out with perverts.'' Berated the girl before she resumed walking.

''And where are you going?!'' Asked Naruto.

''My apartment.'' Said the girl plainly, and this time without looking back or stopping.

''Please don't be like that! I don't even use that Jutsu that much anymore!'' Naruto tried to make the girl reconsider but to no avail.

The blond sighed in defeat, knowing that Kurotsuchi wasn't going to listen to him, so he just decided to let her be for now. _''So much for a good start''_ Thought the blond as he walked towards Ichiraku by himself. Granted, the day didn't go exactly as he had hoped it would but he had faith that tomorrow would be better.

 **Author's note: Freaking Finally! Oh guys you don't know how frustrating this chapter was to write! And not because I didn't enjoy writing it (Even though it was kind of hard due to the huge numbre of character interaction) But because the chapter had been sitting almost complete in my pc for like four days!**

 **You see, something out of my control happened and I had to work extra hours at work for most of the week, which left me no time to give the finishing touch to the chapter. Don't get me wrong, normally I don't let my hobby for writing make me mad in my day to day routine, but all I needed was a single day of my normal routine and I would have had the chapter up that very same night! It was so frustrating not being able to!**

 **Ahem! Now I feel much better now that I let that out of my chest. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **And as always, please review or give me your thoughts if you have the time to spare :)**


	14. Chapter 14: Alone

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 14: Alone

Kurotsuchi awoke with a groan as the sunshine hit her face. She twisted in her bed, trying to make herself comfortable once more to see if she could get back to sleep. The only advantage that she had by being a Konoha prisoner was that she didn't have any obligation to be up early to start her Shinobi duties. However, years of conditioning to be up as soon as she woke up made it almost impossible for her to get back to sleep, so she made up her mind that it was pointless to keep trying and proceeded to kick the bed covers off herself to sit at the edge of the bed. She gave a long yawn as she stretched her arms before she got out of bed. Had she been in Iwa, she would get some breakfast now, but she didn't have any groceries yet so she just settled for taking a shower.

After Kurotsuchi was done and put on some new fresh clothes she pondered on what to do now. Her options were really limited at the moment as she hadn't really spent that much time in Konoha to know good places to go and whatnot so that only left seeing what Naruto was up to. Even if she was still a bit angry at the blond due to yesterday's little event with Konohamaru, she guessed that she could cut the boy some slack. After all, doing stupid things was what he did best and she should already come to expect those kinds of things from him. Besides, she could make him make it up her by buying her breakfast or something, so it wasn't that bad of an idea. Now that it was decided, she headed out of her apartment and walked just a few feet from her door to reach the blond's living place.

The tomboy knocked on the door for a few minutes and after getting no response she wondered if the blond was even in there. _''Oh wait, that's right, the training exercise.'''_ Thought the girl as she remembered what Kakashi had told the blond yesterday about meeting him at the training grounds early today. She knew that by now the Jinchuuriki was in the middle of the exercise already, that was what she supposed at least since Kakashi didn't mention what the exercise entailed.

So with nothing else to do, she headed out into Konoha's streets by herself in the direction of the training grounds. As she went her way, she noticed everyone on the street giving her looks of hatred and disbelief. Now that she was wearing her Iwa forehead protector it served to leave no doubt that she was an enemy foreigner. She could have avoided using the protector like she did the day before but she would be damned if she were to keep rejecting her pride as an Iwa Kunoichi just to avoid distressing some Konoha assholes.

''Is that a Shinobi from Iwa?!'' ''What is someone like her doing here?!'' ''I've heard the rumors but I didn't think they were true.''

She could hear the numerous whispers of the people around her and tried to keep herself as calm and collected as possible despite the fact that she felt extremely uncomfortable. Even if she hated these people as much as they hated her, Kurotsuchi wasn't used to this kind of treatment. In Iwa, people greeted her with a smile on their faces whenever she passed them by. Heck, sometimes they even bowed to her. So going from that to be publically scorned was something that she had yet to get used to. Also, she had no choice but take the abuse since the ANBU guarding her would put her down on the spot if she tried anything against these people, and she didn't even know if the ANBU would help her if she was attacked instead. The point was that she couldn't depend on the ANBU to watch her back. So with all that in mind, she traveled the path to the training grounds that Naruto had shown her yesterday, all the while doing her best to ignore the people's glares, and in just a few minutes she arrived at her destination.

 _''What the hell happened here?''_ Thought the tomboy as she looked around the thrashed place. Whatever happened there managed to leave a huge crater on one side of the training ground, left big scorch marks here and there, and some of the trees were down. She didn't have time to think about it too much before she heard a very familiar voice.

''We got you good this time, Kakashi-sensei!'' Said Naruto while catching a small bell in his hand as he came from the woods along with Sakura and the Sharingan user.

''Sensei, I can't believe you fell for that stupid stunt, though.'' Said Sakura with a smirk to her teacher.

''What can I say? I guess you guys know my weaknesses too well.'' replied the cyclops with a shrug.

Kurotsuchi felt glad that apparently she managed to get here before they were over and left, at least now she wouldn't have to be wandering the village aimlessly looking for the blond.

''Uh? Hey, Kurotsuchi I didn't know you were coming!'' Said the Genin with surprise and excitement as he ran over to the Iwa Kunoichi once he spotted her.

''Is not like I have much to do as long as I'm here, so I might as well see what you are up to.'' Said the girl with a smirk, glad to have been able to find the only person she remotely got along with in Konoha, not that she would ever admit it to the idiot, though.

''Hi, you must be Kurotsuchi.'' Said Sakura with a nervous smirk, as she too, approached the newcomer. She hadn't seen the Kunoichi since the day they found her bleeding out in the Land of Hot Water. And since, she had yet to interact more in depth with the girl, so she wasn't sure how to act around her. Literally, the only thing she knew was that Naruto talked with Tsunade to let the girl walk freely in the village as long as she was kept under watch.

Kurotsuchi eyed the pinkette curiously before she decided to introduce herself too. ''I am. And you must be Naruto's teammate.'' Inquired the Iwa Kunoichi. She remembered Kakashi mention that they were going to have a team exercise and since the girl also seemed to have participated, then she had to be part of Naruto's team.

Sakura nodded. ''That's right, I'm also part of Team Seven just like Naruto and Kakashi-Sensei. Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you. ''Said the medic with a smile as she waved at the Iwa girl amicably. ''Is good to be able to meet you properly.'' Said Sakura cordially even though she still didn't feel comfortable talking to an enemy Kunoichi.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at Sakura's comment. '' What do you mean by 'properly'? Have we met before?'' Asked the confused tomboy.

''Sakura-Chan is the one who healed you after our fight with those Akatsuki bastards! Isn't she awesome?!'' Informed Naruto with pride for his teammate, which caused Sakura to blush with modesty.

''Is that so?'' Asked the pink-eyed girl as she evaluated the medic with surprise. ''Then I guess I owe you some gratitude.'' Said Kurotsuchi out of obligation. She didn't enjoy thanking some Konoha Kunoichi that she didn't even know, but even she felt that some sort of acknowledgment for saving her life was in order.

Sakura waved off the girl's praise. ''No need for that. It was nothing, really.'' Sakura felt like she didn't deserve any thanks since if it wasn't for Naruto's insistence she wouldn't even have bothered to treat the Iwa girl.

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding, if the pinkette didn't want any thanks then it suited her just fine. ''By the way, Naruto, are you done with the exercise?'' Asked the tomboy as she addressed the blond once more.

''All done! we had to take these bells from Kakashi-Sensei and we did it no problem!'' Boasted the boy as he held out the little small bell for the girl to see.

''Wait, are you saying you two managed to beat Sharingan Kakashi!?'' Asked the astounded Kurotsuchi.

''I wouldn't say we beat him, exactly.'' Said Sakura as she scratched her cheek with a finger. ''Naruto threatened to spoil the ending of that trash book of his, which gave us an opening to snatch the bells.'' Admitted the medic with a bit of shame.

At the information, Kurotsuchi looked with a deadpan expression to Kakashi.

The leader of Team Seven had just stayed on the sidelines and had refrained from speaking all this time.

Said Sharingan user closed his eye as he scratched the back of his head. ''hehe, it is a really good book so...'' Said Kakashi, leaving the sentence hanging.

''Hey Sakura-chan, what do you say if we go to Ichiraku later? You know, it has been such a long time since we last hung out.'' Asked a hopeful Naruto to his female teammate seeing as they were done with Kakashi's test.

''Sorry Naruto, but I don't think so. You are just probably going to try and turn it into a date anyway, aren't you?'' Responded Sakura as she rolled her eyes.

''Awww come on, Sakura-chan. I promise it will be good.'' Pleaded the blond, finding no use in refuting his teammate statement since that was exactly what he had hoped to do.

''How many times do I have to tell you Naruto? I don't like you in that way.'' Said Sakura in exasperation.

Kurotsuchi had stopped looking at Kakashi to watch the interaction between the Jinchuuriki and the pinkette. ''Are they always like this?'' Asked the Iwa Kunoichi to Kakashi, as the blond and the medic continued their argument.

The copy ninja nodded casually. ''Yea, and it always ends the same way too.'' Responded the silver-haired man just as Sakura finished hitting Naruto on the head for his insistence.

Kurotsuchi frowned at that. She hadn't known that Naruto had a crush on his teammate and it was obvious that Sakura didn't feel the same way in the slightest bit, so in Kurotsuchi's opinion it didn't seem healthy for Naruto to keep chasing after the reluctant girl but she knew very well by now that Naruto was nothing but persistent and was unlikely to stop. Oh well, that wasn't her problem so the idiot could do whatever he wanted.

''I'm sorry Naruto, but any plans you have will have to wait. Now that we are done here, we should head to the Hokage tower and start our mission for the day.'' Informed the cyclops.

Sakura sighed in relief at having something to keep the blond from bugging her any further.

''All right! Is time to show everyone that I'm ready for the tougher missions now!'' Said the Genin in excitement. ''By the way, can Kurotsuchi accompany us?'' Asked the boy eagerly, which surprised both Sakura and said Iwa girl.

Kakashi seemed to think it over momentarily before he nodded. ''Don't see why not. However, we'll still need to ask Tsunade-Sama for permission first. But aside from that, I don't have a problem with it, and as long as Kurotsuchi doesn't mind she can come with us.'' Said the man before he and the rest of Team Seven glanced over to Kurotsuchi, expecting a response.

Kurotsuchi didn't know what to do. On one hand, following Naruto and his team while they did a mission didn't seem fun; but on the other hand, she didn't have anything else to do so she was probably going to get bored anyway so she might as well get bored as she hung out with the only person she tolerated in Konoha. ''I don't have anything else to do, so I guess I'll stick around for a while.'' Said the girl with a shrug.

''So it's decided then. Let's get going, guys.'' Said Kakashi, before turning around and started walking towards Konoha's streets with Team Seven and Kurotsuchi in tow.

''This is Sweet! It feels like being in a four-man team again'' Said Naruto with excitement before his expression turned sour shortly after, and even Sakura seemed to get a sad look on her face.

Kurotsuchi wondered what happened all of a sudden. _''Did a member of their team die or something?''_ At least it sure felt like it. ''What happened to your last member, then?'' Kurotsuchi couldn't help but ask.

''He left the village three years ago.'' Explained Kakashi simply, as he guessed that neither Naruto or Sakura would feel comfortable talking about it.

''But I'll bring him back. I'll definitely get Sasuke back to the village.'' Said Naruto with determination.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in surprise. The last member of their team was someone named Sasuke and left their village? ''Are you by any chance talking about the last Uchiha?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. The desertion of the only surviving member of the Uchiha massacre was widely known in Iwa, and everyone in her village was glad to know that Konoha had pretty much lost the lineage of the Sharingan, and once Kakashi died, they would lose all their users.

Sakura nodded at the girl. ''Yea, Sasuke-Kun is also part of Team Seven.'' Explained the medic with the same melancholic look on her face.

Kurotsuchi was surprised at the news. She didn't expect that someone like the last Uchiha had been Naruto's teammate. It just seemed that Naruto was surrounded by talented people: Jiraiya, Kakashi, the Uchiha prodigy, etc. Made her wonder why the blond wasn't that strong himself if he was stuck in the middle of such talented ninja. One would think some of their genius would have rubbed off on him by now.

''But is it really worth it trying to make the guy come back?'' Asked Kurotsuchi which earned her a resentful look from Sakura and an expression of disbelief from Naruto. ''I mean, I heard that he ran away by his own will. If he went through the trouble of risking being labeled a missing nin just to get away, I don't think he will want to come back.'' The tomboy explained her reasoning.

''Sasuke-Kun was lured by Orochimaru to join him using the promise of power. But in reality, he just wants to steal his body and Sharingan!'' Exclaimed Sakura.

''Yea, Sasuke is our friend and there is no way I'm letting Orochimaru use him as he pleases!'' Said Naruto, backing Sakura.

''Hey, I'm just saying alright. You can do as you wish but I don't think it will be that simple.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a shrug.

''That's why I'm saying that I'll bring him back no matter what even if I have to beat his ass half to death!'' Said Naruto with resolution.

Kurotsuchi chose not to comment this time, as she knew first-hand how stubborn Naruto could be when he put his mind into something. Besides, she would be more comfortable if she didn't make Naruto's team hate her so soon after starting to spend time with them, so she decided to stay silent for the moment.

They didn't take long to reach the Hokage tower, and Kurotsuchi couldn't help but feel nervous as they went past the secretary at the front and went up the stairs since the last time she was here she could have been sentenced to death, or worse. So, even if she knew that logically there was nothing to fear right now, she was having a hard time not feeling uneasy.

The teens stopped just behind Kakashi as the Jounin knocked on Tsunade's door, and after hearing the Hokage say ''Enter'' they all went in, even if the Iwa girl was a bit reluctant to do so. As they entered, Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes when she noticed the ANBU guarding her positioning themselves just outside of the Hokage's office, should they be needed.

''Hey Tsunade-Baachan, I'm ready for a mission!'' Said Naruto with excitement as he entered the office which earned him a punch from Sakura.

''Naruto, show some respect to Tsunade-Sama!'' Sakura scolded Naruto with a shout while the blond rubbed his aching head.

''I was wondering when you guys would show up.'' Said Tsunade as she stared at them from her desk with a smirk. ''I take that you already tested their abilities, Kakashi?'' Asked the busty woman.

''Yes, they passed the bell test. I'm pleased to say that they have grown exponentially in these three years.'' Informed the copy ninja.

Tsunade nodded with satisfaction at Kakashi's report before she glanced at Kurotsuchi with a raised eyebrow. ''I see you brought the girl with you.''

''I can leave if me being here is a problem.'' Offered Kurotsuchi politely, feeling tense now that the Hokage's gaze was on her and she would rather not do anything that might make the woman angry.

''I was meaning to ask if it would be okay for Kurotsuchi to come along with us on a mission?'' Said Naruto expectantly.

Tsunade looked curiously at the nervous Iwa Kunoichi before addressing Naruto once more. ''I don't think it would be prudent to let her go along with you. You'll already be busy enough with your mission to properly keep watch on her. Not to mention, it would be a waste of resources sending ANBU with you if you have to leave the village.'' Explained the Hokage.

''Come one Tsunade-Baachan, She will behave, I promise. Besides, what if we get some mission that requires us to be in the village or somewhere close by?'' Insisted the blond, which caused Kurotsuchi to look at him worriedly, fearing that the idiot would make the woman angry at both of them.

Tsunade looked at Naruto incredulously. ''Naruto, the only missions like that are D rank missions and very few C-ranks. So unless you guys want one of those, I don't see the girl going with you.'' Said the Female Sannin.

Naruto grimaced at the prospect of doing one of the lower ranked missions, but still he decided to keep insisting. ''There has to be a higher ranked mission that we can do that doesn't require us to leave the village.'' Said the Genin.

Kurotsuchi saw Tsunade frown, clearly starting to lose her patience. so the Iwa Kunoichi tugged the sleeve of Naruto's jacket to get his attention. ''Naruto, it's okay, really. If I can't go is no big deal.'' Said the girl, trying to placate the situation before the Hokage decided to vent her anger on both Naruto and Kurotsuchi.

''Good that you understand.'' Said Tsunade pleased to know that at least the girl had some sense to not be pushing her luck. ''Now, let me see which missions I have available right now...'' Said the Hokage as she started going through some papers trying to find an appropriate task for them when the door to her office burst open and a woman with short brown hair entered the room in a rush.

''Hokage-Sama, I have urgent news!'' Said the altered woman and caught the attention of everyone in the room. ''The Kazekage has been kidnapped!'' Finished the Kunoichi before anyone could ask her anything, and everyone in the room widened their eyes in astonishment at the news.

''What?! Explain at once and don't forget to give details!'' Ordered Tsunade with urgency.

''Suna was attacked by an organization called Akatsuki and they took the Kazekage Gaara for reasons still unknown!'' Explained the woman which made Naruto get even more preoccupied.

''Gaara you say?!'' Asked Naruto in worry. He didn't know that Gaara had been appointed Kazekage while he was away with Jiraiya, but he didn't have time to think about it too much since his friend needed help.

Kurotsuchi wondered if Naruto knew the Kazekage personally since he called him by his name and seemed to be particularly worried about him. But she didn't share the same urgency as the blond. Iwa and Suna weren't in good terms. In fact, Iwa hated Suna almost as much as they hated Konoha, so she couldn't say that she cared much about what happened to the Kazekage.

The woman ignored Naruto's question and continued her explanation. '' Suna was attacked by two individuals from this organization. One of them appeared to use a large metal tail as a weapon. And the another one, the one who kidnapped the Kazekage, used a weird explosive clay like sculptures.''

Kurotsuchi looked with alarm at the woman and couldn't help interrupting. ''Wait! Was that guy with the explosives a tall blond with mouths on his hands?!'' Asked the tomboy. She only knew of one person who used clay explosives and wanted to confirm her suspicions.

the brunette looked at the girl with surprise. ''Yes in fact. How did you know?'' Asked the woman. They had gotten a description of the attackers since Suna was trying to make public knowledge the appearance of these missing-nins, since kidnapping a Kage made them international criminals.

Kurotsuchi looked furious at knowing that. So, that was how the Akatsuki had managed to infiltrate Iwa. With someone as knowledgeable about the place as Deidara that made it easier for them to do it. Actually, she wouldn't be surprised if the bomber himself was the one to lay waste to her home since Deidara would never let an opportunity to blow shit up get away.

Now, everyone in the room was looking at Kurotsuchi expectantly as the girl explained herself. ''That guy you are talking about must be Deidara. He is a missing-nin from Iwa and is the only person I know of that uses that kind of Jutsu.'' Informed Kurotsuchi seething with anger.

''So you know him?'' Inquired Tsunade.

Kurotsuchi nodded trying to keep herself calm. ''I did, years ago before he defected. Now there are very few things I would like more than skinning him alive.''

''I understand.'' Said the Hokage before she turned to Kakashi and his team again. ''Team seven, your mission is decided then: You are to go to Suna and inform Konoha of the situation in there, also you are to follow their orders in helping them get back the Kazekage.'' Ordered Tsunade with authority.

''Wait! You have to let me go with them!'' Requested Kurotsuchi, getting even further looks of surprise from everyone.

''I thought I made it clear that you can't go outside the village with them. Also, I don't appreciate you wasting our time when we have such a delicate situation on our hands.'' Said Tsunade sternly, annoyed that the girl had changed her mind about not caring if she went or not.

''I promise I won't get in the way or try anything funny. I just want to help you get rid of Deidara. I won't ever forgive that asshole for what he did to my home. Besides, his Akatsuki friends have almost killed me twice and I want to return the favor.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a fierce look in her pink eyes.

''That's right! Kurotsuchi knows this guy, doesn't she? so she can be a big help if we are to fight him!'' Said Naruto backing up the girl.

Before Tsunade could object with both of them, Kakashi decided to speak his mind also. ''I'm with Naruto on this one, Tsunade-Sama. If the girl is familiar with one of the Akatsuki's techniques, this could give us a boost in our fighting strategy along with an element of surprise since the Akatsuki won't expect us to know anything about them.'' Said the copy ninja calmly.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi didn't expect the cyclops to agree with them, but still they gave him thankful looks for helping them in trying to convince the Hokage.

Tsunade sighed, trying to think of what to do. However, she didn't have a lot of time to waste so she had to make a decision fast. ''I'm sorry, but I still can't risk sending her with you right now.'' Said the Hokage with finality.

Naruto looked disappointed while Kurotsuchi clenched her teeth with impotence before she turned around with an angry huff.

''Fine. I don't know why I even bothered to ask.'' Said the tomboy as she walked to the door and left the office, all the while feeling like a fool for even considering the idea of asking the Hokage something like that.

''Kurotsuchi, wait!'' Said Naruto with an arm extended towards her to grab her attention but she ignored him as she closed the door behind her.

''Let her go, Naruto. You have an important mission right now so you all better get moving.'' Said Tsunade.

''Roger'' Said Kakashi and Sakura in unison, while Naruto just nodded sadly, as he was just informed that one of his friends was captured and the other couldn't even come to help despite the fact that she would be a big help. But even if the blond wasn't feeling in high spirits, he still tried to shake off his bad mood as he needed to be at his best if he was to help Gaara.

So without nothing else to add, Team Seven left the office to gear up for the difficult mission ahead of them.

-Konoha's Streets-

Kurotsuchi strolled angrily towards her apartment building. It had been a few minutes since she was denied the chance of finally taking part in Deidara's demise. She was sure that the bastard had played a major part when the Akatsuki attacked Iwa, there was simply no way that they hadn't used someone familiar with the village to facilitate the attack. Even if she didn't like working alongside the Konoha Shinobi, she was still a Kunoichi and she couldn't stand not being able to test her abilities once in a while, and what better way to do that than by tying some loose ends and hopefully killing Deidara.

She rushed up the steps of the building and passed Naruto's apartment door before she reached her own and went inside, all the while as she tried to keep her temper in check. It would do her no good to make a scene over this. She honestly didn't know what she had been expecting. She was a prisoner and of course, they would not send a prisoner and risk her escaping.

The tomboy decided to go straight to lay down on her bed and did just that. She wasn't in the mood to be wandering Konoha as a fool by herself, so she might as well just stay inside her temporary domicile as long as she felt like it. And as she was staring at the ceiling as she laid on her bed, she heard some noise coming from Naruto's apartment. No doubt the blond was gathering supplies for his trip as quickly as possible, so she just ignored it for the moment. And after a couple of minutes passed, she heard the door to Naruto's apartment close. But instead of the boy going away as she had expected him to, she heard someone knock on her front door, who no doubt had to be Naruto. The knocks were easy to hear since she left the door of her room open.

''What do you want Naruto?'' Asked the Kunoichi in a loud voice so the boy could hear her.

''I just wanted to let you know that I'm leaving already and probably won't be back for at least a couple of weeks or so.'' Said Naruto at the other side of the door. ''Since I'm not going to be here, I thought it would be a good idea to leave you a copy of my key so you can go to my place to eat if you wish. I already bought plenty of groceries, so you don't have to worry about only finding ramen to eat.'' Informed the blond.

Oh right, she had forgotten that if Naruto wasn't there then there would be no one to pay for her expenses. well, at least he made sure to not leave her starving while he was away. She thought it was very thoughtful coming from Naruto since he wasn't exactly a great example of responsibility. So with a groan, she got up from the bed once again and rapidly got to her front door and opened it to see Naruto outside.

Despite not feeling too cheerful himself, the Jinchuuriki still managed to give a girl a small grin. ''Hey.'' Said the blond with a wave of his hand before he presented a small key to the girl with his other hand. ''Here you go. It's an extra copy of my key. I have it in case I lose mine, but I guess that it would be more useful to you right now.''

''Thanks.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she tentatively grabbed the key from the Jinchuuriki's hand and stared at it for a bit.

''Look, I'm sorry that Tsunade-Baachan didn't let you come with us.'' Said Naruto with a guilty look on his face.

Kurotsuchi sighed and shrugged off the boy's concern with her hand. ''It's fine. I know that wasn't your fault, so don't worry about it.''

Naruto was happy at the girl's understanding. However, he needed to hurry. Not only was his team waiting for him, but also Gaara was in trouble and needed his help ASAP. ''Then, I'll see you later!'' Said Naruto with a wave of his arm as he turned around and started sprinting away.

''Naruto.''

The blond stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at the pink-eyed girl with a puzzled look.

''Be careful out there. I won't be there this time to cover your ass from the Akatsuki pricks.'' Said the girl with a playful smirk.

Naruto gave her one of his usual broad smiles and a thumbs up. ''Don't worry, I won't let my guard down. And besides, Kakashi-Sensei and Sakura-chan will be with me the entire time.'' Assured the blond Jinchuuriki before speeding off again.

Now that Kurotsuchi was left alone, she stood there wondering what to do now that she was left to her own devices. And after a moment of thinking, she got a sly grin on her face as she started repeatedly tossing and catching the key on her hand. _''I'm sure Naruto won't mind if I take a quick look through his apartment, Right?''_ Thought the girl deviously. She was bored and looking around the blond's apartment to find something embarrassing to tease him later with sounded like fun. She also doubted that the ANBU would bother her since the blond technically gave her permission to enter his apartment.

So, after closing and securing her apartment, she walked towards Naruto's door that was just beside hers and unlocked it. Once she stepped inside, she could see that the place was cleaner than the last time she had been there, as she didn't see any dirty clothes on the floor or any empty instant ramen cups as she had been expecting. She supposed that Naruto had cleaned recently and she could only see a couple of Kunai and Shuriken scattered beside the bed, probably the blond inadvertently left them there when he packed in a hurry.

Kurotsuchi decided to pay no mind to it at the moment, and instead, just walked a few steps as she glanced around the small room curiously. She peeked a bit inside the closet, but as expected, she only found hanged clothes there so she left that alone. She approached the cabinet instead, but inside there were some dusty scrolls and a couple of books on gardening, not really anything of interest. Having enough of that, she thought about searching under the bed. She finally gave a victorious grin when she felt some kind of thick book on her grip. She pulled out said book and she noted that it was some sort of photo album. She would have hoped to find something more interesting than that, but it was good enough she supposed.

So, the pink-eyed girl started going through the pages, only to see all different kinds of pictures with either Naruto in it or some of his friends, as she could tell since she had already met some of them. She was getting disappointed as she continued going from image to image as she really wasn't seeing anything that caught her eye. She eventually found photos of a little Naruto no older than maybe four years old. She smirked, and thought that she would never have imagined that the blond idiot could have been such a cute little kid, at least she thought he looked rather adorable. However, she started to get a bit thoughtful as she continued to stare at the photographs, and not because of what she could see but because of what she didn't see.

She noticed that there seemed to be no photos of Naruto with his parents or family at all. Or at least that was what she supposed since not one of the adults in these photos looked remotely similar to the Genin. And in fact, she could recognize most of them, like that Iruka guy, Kakashi, Jiraiya, some photos of Naruto's team, and some of the other teams she met already. There was even some man that looked like a chef along with what seemed to the man's daughter or niece if she had to guess. But no matter how much she looked, she couldn't find any trace of the blond's family. Strange, even if most Jinchuuriki were hated by their village so much that a lot of times even their parents left them to their own devices, it was simply too weird that there was nothing here. Even when Jinchuuriki were ignored, they still kept some sort of contact with their families. For example, the Hachibi Jinchuuriki was the brother of the Raikage, even if he had been adopted, and to her understanding, they were on good terms. She knew that the Ichibi was the child of the late Yondaime Kazekage, and even had siblings who he lived with. Hell, even Han and Roshi were distant relatives of Kurotsuchi and her grandpa always made sure to check on them from time to time.

By the time the tomboy had finished the album, she had a frown on her face as she pondered on this matter. She realized that she didn't know that much about the blond idiot now that she thought about it. It may be wise to look into this if it concerned the only friend she had in Konoha -Or at least the closest thing she had to one anyway- but she didn't know if it was prudent to ask Naruto himself as it may come across as nosy and/or rude. As she was deep in thought, she was startled by a knock on the door, and in a hurry, she closed the album shut and hastily put it back under the bed. She stood up and wondered if she should open the door or just ignore it and let whoever it was, go away, as it might seem a bit awkward if any of Naruto's friends found her inside his apartment.

''Naruto, are you there?'' Asked a voice on the other side of the door, and Kurotsuchi though it sounded familiar. And after thinking about it a little bit, she remembered that it belonged to Iruka, the one guy from Naruto's friends that trusted her the least. _''Just my luck''_ Thought the girl in frustration. But on the other hand, this might be a good opportunity. She could get some information on Naruto's family from his former teacher and she might be able to get the guy to realize that she wasn't out to get Naruto's blood, at least not anymore.

So, having made up her mind, she proceeded to open the door of the apartment to find Iruka. The young Chunin seemed to have been about to go already as he was facing away from the apartment, but as soon as he heard the door open, he turned around with a smile expecting to see his blond student. ''Naruto, I thought you already...'' However, his smile vanished as soon as he saw the Kunoichi, and instead, it was replaced by a look of shock and surprise. ''What are- I mean, what is going- I mean...'' Iruka was at a complete loss for words as he tensed up. He was clearly unsure of what to make of this situation.

Kurotsuchi was worried that the man would take this the wrong way and deduce that she came here to assassinate the blond or something. In fact, he almost looked ready to fight by his tense posture, which she found to be a bit of an overreaction. ''Hey, I'm sorry but if you are looking for Naruto he already left.'' Despite her relaxed behavior, Iruka was still tense, but at least he calmed somewhat.

''So, where is he?'' Asked the man tentatively, no doubt wondering if she had hurt Naruto in his own home.

''He left a little while ago. He had a very important mission, so he was in a rush.'' Explained the tomboy as calmly as she could to avoid upsetting the man any further.

''Oh, that's right. His mission.'' Said Iruka, feeling a bit absent minded. He had come here in the first place once he heard that Naruto got a mission to rescue the Kazekage, so he had been hoping to get to the blond before he left to wish him good luck and see him off. And in his shock at seeing the girl in the Jinchuuriki's apartment, he had forgotten to consider that the boy had already left. But still, that didn't answer another question... ''And may I ask, what you are doing here?'' Asked Iruka with as much politeness as he could muster, but still he couldn't help but sound a bit abrasive.

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at the man's paranoia. ''He has the responsibility to look after me as long as I'm here in Konoha. But since he will be gone for a while, he left me a key to his apartment so I could help myself to anything I may need from his home, mostly just food.'' Explained the girl a bit annoyed and ashamed to say out loud that the moron had to take care of her, but there was nothing to do about it since it was the truth.

Iruka gave a sigh of relief. ''I guess that makes sense.''

''I was just about to leave anyway.'' Said the girl as she stepped out of the apartment and started locking the door behind her.

''Well, since Naruto isn't here, it seems that I came all the way here for nothing.'' Said Iruka casually. ''Then, I think I should be going now. Sorry for disturbing you.'' Continued the man as he started turning around to leave.

''Wait.'' Said Kurotsuchi, which mad Iruka halt with a puzzled look as he stared at her. ''You are Naruto's former teacher, right?'' Inquired the girl.

Iruka looked curiously at the tomboy for the sudden question. ''Yes, I used to be his academy teacher. Why do you ask? I believe we were already introduced to each other before'' Answered Iruka, wondering what was the point of the Kunoichi's question.

''Then, you must have known the guy for a very long time. correct?'' Kurotsuchi continued her questioning.

''Yes, you could say that.'' Said Iruka with suspicion. What was the girl getting at here?

''I'm just saying because I couldn't help but notice how close the two of you are.'' Said the pink-eyed girl with a small smirk.

''It's only natural for a teacher to worry about his students. Even former students.'' Replied the Chunin in a matter of fact way.

''Maybe, but is easy to see that you are particularly fond of Naruto, and more than a bit protective of him too if the way you are cautious of me is any indication.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a hard stare. ''Don't think I haven't noticed how wary you are whenever he is around me.''

Iruka narrowed his eyes at the accusations. ''Well, you'll have to forgive me for not trusting my student with someone from an enemy nation that has already tried to kill him before.'' Said Iruka with a look of his own just as harsh as hers.

''And I totally get it, but I don't want to start an argument over it since that is not my intention. Trying to defend myself is not what I wanted to talk to you about.'' clarified the girl as she crossed her arms.

''And what else would you want to talk to me about?'' Said Iruka mimicking the girl's previous action, as he too, crossed his arms.

Kurotsuchi sighed as her features softened just a little bit. ''There is something I wanted to ask you about Naruto since you seem to know him well.'' Admitted the tomboy.

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the girl. ''I don't think it is my place to be talking about Naruto's matters. Whatever it is you want to know, you should ask him directly.'' Not to mention that he didn't feel comfortable giving this enemy Kunoichi any information about the Jinchuuriki.

''I can understand that you have your reservations about telling me anything, so I will just ask and you can choose to answer the question or not.'' Said the girl with a serious face, and when she didn't see Iruka attempting to leave, she guessed that was her cue to continue. ''Is just that... I have seen a lot of his friends, his team, Jiraiya. You know a lot of the people closest to him. And that is good and all, but I have yet to meet any of his family.'' Said Kurotsuchi, and that made Iruka tense up as he realized that the girl didn't know who Naruto's parents were, which was good. ''And I found it odd. Even with his 'condition' I find it weird that they don't keep some sort of contact with him.''

Iruka was at a loss, he wasn't sure how to approach this question. He could just ignore the girl as he probably should, but if she was dead set on knowing more about Naruto's family, he feared that she would go researching on this matter by herself, and if she were to somehow find out who Naruto's parents were, he doubted it would be pretty since almost all Iwa Shinobi absolutely despised the Yondaime. So after Iruka gave a sigh, he went right into answering the girl. ''I'm afraid to Say it, but unfortunately, Naruto never knew his parents. He grew up in an orphanage for most of his youth.'' Informed Iruka with a heavy heart. Even if he didn't feel right telling this to the Kunoichi, he hoped that at least with this answer it would give her some finality on the matter. She was only focusing on Naruto and didn't have a reason to be taking an interest in the parents of an orphan.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock at hearing that. ''No way...that is just...'' She couldn't find the words to express herself at the moment. Naruto was an orphan who never even knew his parents? That was a sad thought for the pink-eyed girl. She herself couldn't imagine growing up without her father and grandfather. Not having her mother was bad enough, but she couldn't fathom the sorrow of growing up without any family to look out for her. Naruto didn't have that and she would have never guessed. ''I never realized that...'' Said the tomboy with a much softer tone and sad features.

Iruka was taken aback by the girl's reaction. It was weird to see her show something even resembling concern. However, she could have just been faking it for all he knew. But if that was the case, she was pretty good at masking her emotions, since he couldn't tell if she was, even with all his years of experience as a Shinobi. ''Not only that, but he spent most of his life without a friend. I'm ashamed to admit it, but even I was reluctant to befriend him for the longest time.'' Iruka wasn't exactly sure why he was saying all this to her, but he supposed that some side of him really wanted to believe that the girl really did care about being a good friend for the blond, at least he hoped so, since it seemed that it didn't matter what Iruka did, he could not protect Naruto should she want to harm him. So, that only left having faith that she really didn't intend to do it.

Kurotsuchi felt even worse at hearing that from Iruka. Not having a family growing up was bad enough, but no friends either?! Along with everyone in the village hating him, she was convinced that it was a miracle that he didn't end up as a demented antisocial psycho. Naruto was always so cheerful and friendly, he was always trying to see the good in people, and on top of that, he believed in a peaceful future. Sure, she herself thought that those dreams were stupid because they simply weren't realistic. But the point was, that Naruto should have ended up much worse. ''I see...thanks for answering my question. You can go now, and sorry for bothering you.'' Said the girl melancholically, and after going over the new information in her head for a few seconds, she proceeded to walk towards her own apartment.

Iruka looked inquisitively at the young woman's actions, and just before she stepped into her apartment, he called out to her again. ''You really have nothing against Naruto, then?'' Asked the Chunin. It seemed senseless to ask, since even if she really did plan to stab the boy in the back, she would never admit it. But this was pretty much his last chance to try and detect any lies that the girl might throw his way.

Kurotsuchi stopped halfway through the entrance to her apartment and turned to look at Iruka directly in the eyes with conviction. ''He has been a friend to me even when I didn't deserve it, and I owe him for that. I don't care if you or the rest of his friends don't like me, but if there is one thing I want you to have clear is that I do consider him a friend too, just as he considered me one even when he didn't have to.'' Admitting that was surprising even for Kurotsuchi. She had been debating with herself for a while now if she really thought of Naruto as a friend, but she was finally being honest and could admit that she really did consider Naruto as such.

Iruka eyed the girl throughout her explanation looking for anything that could betray any lie she was trying to say, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't. After analyzing for a minute all the girl said, he finally gave a small smile. ''I'm glad that you think of him that way.'' It seemed that Naruto had done it again and managed to befriend even the strangest of people; People that shouldn't have been possible to befriend, but here he had an Iwa Kunoichi that seemed truthful in her intentions of friendship with the blond. ''I really should be going now. But I'm glad we could clear things out.'' The Chunin then turned to leave, hoping that trusting the words of the girl wasn't a mistake.

Kurotsuchi silently watched the man go, and once he was out of sight, she went inside her apartment. Once inside, she went straight to her bed, not feeling like doing anything more for the day right now.

She laid there on her mattress, looking at the ceiling for the second time that day, thinking on what Iruka had said. She pictured the little blond boy that she saw in the photos and thought of him alone in the rain in the middle of Konoha, crying while no one came to help him, and the passing villagers just scorned him as they passed him by. In Iwa, there was nothing more important than family, everyone knew that. They were told that it was fine to stab allies in the back as long as it benefited the village in some way, but they were also told that everything they did, they did it to get a better future for one's family.

Knowing that the happiest-go-lucky guy she knew, and the only friend she had in this place, had lived such hell, left her feeling reasonably depressed. even now, the very same village he tried to protect with his life still hated him. And even after living the way he did, he was still positive and never gave up hoping for a better tomorrow. She knew that if she were in his place, and had the strongest of Biju sealed inside her, she would have given herself up to the demon a long time ago and would have gone on a rampage until she either killed everyone who ever wronged her, or they killed her.

And on top of that, he had an organization full of S-class criminals out for his blood. Now, she went back to lamenting that Tsunade hadn't let her go to help the blond with his mission, but now not only because she wanted to make them pay for what they did to her, but also because of what they wanted to do to Naruto. She didn't even know why she cared so much about this; maybe focusing on the blonds problems was a nice distraction from her own shitty situation. But whatever was the case, she couldn't seem to get the issue out of her head, and before she knew it, night had already fallen and she went to sleep with her thoughts filled with worry.

 **Author's notes: Hello everyone! How have you been lately? hehe...Please don't kill me!**

 **I'm so sorry for having left for so long! I never really intended for that to happen. But this chapter man, the freaking chapter! the first half was fine, I didn't have any problems there, everything was good, but all went downhill in the second half. I don't know why exactly, but something in the later half gave me writers block, and until now I didn't even know how that felt like. I think is that I didn't know where to go after the first half, but the point is that I simply couldn't think of anything that I thought flowed well in the story, hell, even now I'm not entirely happy with it. But I admit it, I just said 'fuck it' since if I never continued, I would never finish this story so I rolled with it.**

 **Now, I'm not going to lie to you guys and say that I'm going to be uploading two times a week to make up for the delay or something since that is a promise I can't keep. But what I can promise, is that I will really try to not let this happen again.**

 **Anyway, now that I cleared things out, I apologize again. And the only thing left to say is that I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and please review if you get the chance! thanks for sticking with me and my story guys, you are awesome!**


	15. Chapter 15: New Teammates

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 15: New Teammates

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade was currently in her chair trying to relax. Ever since she sent Team Seven to Suna, she had been feeling pretty anxious as she had sent Naruto up against the very same organization that wanted to capture him. Add to that the meeting she would have with Ohnoki in just a few days, it was understandable that she was a ball of nerves right now.

She sighed as she took off her sandals and put her feet on top of her desk. She was taking a break from the paperwork at the moment and she would rather not let the few times she had to rest go to waste. Intending to enjoy herself, she opened her drawer and pulled a couple of scratch-off lottery tickets she had bought that morning. She never won anything, but she was so used to gambling that nowadays she just did it to pass the time. She then scratched on one the tickets, and much to her surprise, she realized that she had won the big prize. She widened her eyes at that. She wasn't known as the legendary sucker for anything; she losing gambles was just the normal status quo and whenever that wasn't the case, it was usually a bad omen for things to come. She tried to not panic just yet, and went ahead and started scratching the second ticket, and in horror, she realized that she won again!

Now she was sure that something was wrong. She would never have this kind of luck unless something terrible was going to happen. And as she had been feeling terribly nervous about the recent mission of Team Seven, she couldn't help but worry even more. She took down her feet from her desk to sit straight and put her elbows on the wooden surface as she rested her head on top of her hands, deep in thought. After pondering on her worries for a few minutes, she reached the conclusion that the risk of something bad happening in the mission was too great, and without thinking her decision any further she called for her apprentice. ''Shizune!''

The raven-haired medic entered the office just a few seconds after, and looked attentively at her master, wondering what had the Hokage so riled up so soon in the day. ''Is something the matter, Tsunade-Sama?'' Asked the confused woman.

''I need you to fetch me Team Gai as fast as you can, along with someone else.'' Informed the blonde beauty with severity.

''Y-Yes, right away, Tsunade-Sama!'' Responded Shizune without missing a beat. Even if she didn't know right now why the Hokage wanted Gai and his team for, she was sure that she had to have a good reason. ''And who is the other person you want me to get?'' Asked the short-haired woman.

Tsunade sighed once more, hoping that this was the right choice to make...

-Kurotsuchi's apartment-

Kurotsuchi was just finishing her breakfast, which consisted of a bowl of cereal and an apple. She had gone earlier in the morning to Naruto's apartment to get some food, and she was glad that the blond really did a good job of supplying her with a good amount of food while he was away. She really found the boy's cupboard filled to the brim with all kinds of things to eat, so she felt a bit silly grabbing such a basic meal but whatever, it wasn't like it mattered.

She was just starting to put away the dirty dishes when she heard someone knocking on her door. She went on full alert at that, since Naruto wasn't in the village, she couldn't think of anyone that would come visit her just because they felt like it. She approached her door warily as she tried to think of any reason someone might want to see her right now. Once in front of it, she kept her guard up as she opened the door, and she gave a small jump of surprise when she came face to face with a white porcelain mask at the other side. ''Ahhh you scared me! Why do you have to stand so close to the door?!'' Berated the tomboy at the ANBU. Now that she had a better view of her visitor, she realized that it was the same female purple-haired ANBU that was usually guarding her. And for a moment, she wondered if she had done something wrong lately to deserve a reprimand.

''The Hokage wants to see you, so go and get dressed into something more appropriate.'' Said the purple haired woman as she noted that Kurotsuchi was still in her new pajamas.

Kurotsuchi felt a chill go up her spine. ''The Hokage!? What for?! I haven't done anything wrong, haven't I?'' Said the girl in alarm. She couldn't imagine the Hokage wanting to see her for anything good.

''It's not my place to tell you. You will be informed once we get there, so please just comply.'' Said the ANBU calmly and to the point.

Kurotsuchi stared nervously at the woman and nodded before she rushed to her bedroom to put her usual clothes on. The Iwa girl didn't take long to get ready, and without wasting another second, both the girl and her ANBU escort were off.

-Hokage Tower-

In just a few minutes they were at the Hokage Tower, and as Kurotsuchi faced the office door of Konoha's ruler, her nerves multiplied tenfold. But a nudge on her side by the ANBU behind her prompted her to go on, and she reluctantly gave a solid knock. The pink-eyed girl didn't have to wait long -just a couple of seconds- for the Hokage to reply with 'Enter' So she did just that.

''You wanted to see me, Lady Hokage?'' Asked the prodigy as she entered the office with the ANBU close behind her. She turned to look at the blonde woman and she could see Tsunade staring at her with a serious face as she sat on her desk.

''I did. Come closer, girl.'' Ordered the Sannin as she noticed that Kurotsuchi just stood in the middle of the room.

Kurotsuchi nodded at the Kage and took a few more steps towards the woman until she was just in front of the Hokage's desk. She had never been this close to the Sannin and she couldn't help but be on edge. She guessed that whatever the Hokage wanted from her, the woman either needed to gauge the girl's reaction, or intimidate her with her presence, or both. And she couldn't deny that it was working, she really was intimidating all right.

''You said before that you knew one of the Akatsuki members. A guy named Deidara, correct?'' Asked the blonde as she continued to stare right into the eyes of Kurotsuchi.

''Y-Yes ma'am. '' Answered the girl quickly. She didn't know why the Hokage might be interested in that, but she didn't care right now. She was more focused on finding out what the woman's deal with her was.

''So, you could say that you know his style of fighting?'' The busty woman continued to inquire.

Kurotsuchi blinked slowly with confusion. ''I do know a good deal, yes.''

''Elaborate on it'' Tsunade kept pressing the Iwa Kunoichi.

Kurotsuchi wondered what the Hokage was getting at. The woman had already refused her help before when she offered to aid Naruto on his mission. So she found strange that suddenly the Hokage was interested in what she had to say about the mad bomber. ''With all due respect Hokage-Sama, I don't know where we are going with this.'' Said Kurotsuchi as serenely as she could.

''Just answer what I asked of you.'' Ordered Tsunade with her same grave expression.

Kurotsuchi nodded hastily, deciding that it was best to just do what the Hokage demanded of her. ''He uses explosive clay that he makes into several kinds of sculptures with the mouths on his hands. Depending on the shape he gives them, they can behave exactly like the object he models them after; a bird sculpture can fly, a snake one will slither around on the floor, spiders will stick to surfaces, all of that. One thing they all they all share, though, is that they all explode like bombs. He likes to fight on top of giant flying sculptures he also creates, they can range from dragons to birds, but the point is that he favors aerial and long range combat.'' Informed the Iwa Kunoichi.

''Anything specific to be wary of him?'' Asked the Hokage with the same seriousness.

Kurotsuchi nodded and continued her report. ''He likes to fight sneakily. He will usually telegraph a lot of his head on attacks while another set of sculptures sneak up on his enemy while they are busy dealing with the other ones. Also, one has to be very careful when looking for an opening when fighting him, since he is known to use clay clones as decoys and blow them up along with his foes when they go after him hoping to end the battle quickly.''

Tsunade put her elbows on her desk as she rested her head on top of her hands and thought on the information the girl was giving her. ''Do you know any of his weaknesses?'' Asked the Hokage.

''A few of them. First of all, the quantity of clay he can carry is limited, and once he runs out of it, he is at a considerable disadvantage. But despite that, it's very difficult to actually get him to spend all of it since he carries more than enough to blow up cities. However, one major weakness he has is lightning, any contact with lightning Jutsu will make his clay worthless since lightning Chakra will neutralize the earth Chakra they are powered with.'' Finished the girl before she stared at Tsunade expectantly.

The blonde woman hadn't moved from her position as she digested the words of the girl, and she even closed her eyes as she went deep in thought and seemed to be debating something in her mind.

Kurotsuchi was starting to sweat; the suspense was killing her. Not only she didn't know what the Hokage wanted from all this, but the woman wouldn't say anything anymore.

Then, Tsunade opened her eyes with resolve on her face and Kurotsuchi was momentarily startled by the sudden action. ''I have reconsidered.'' Said Tsunade

''Reconsidered?'' Repeated the confused tomboy with a tilt of her head.

The Hokage nodded in affirmation as she stared at the girl. ''I have reconsidered sending you to Suna as a support for Team Seven.'' Said Tsunade.

Kurotsuchi's eyes went wide at hearing that. Now this was one thing she didn't expect to happen when she came here. ''Wait, are you serious!?'' Asked the girl in disbelief.

''I am. Unless you don't want to go anymore, that is.'' Replied the Hokage, still keeping her severe behavior.

''Of course, I still want to go! But I'm just curious, what made you change your mind?'' Said the pink eyed girl, perplexed.

''I have my reasons'' Responded the Hokage plainly. The truth was that after her bad omen, she started reevaluating the risks the mission brought, and decided that sending Team Seven alone had been a mistake. Even more so when she had someone knowledgeable about of one of the Akatsuki members they were up against. Yes, she was taking a risk sending the girl, but she would rather risk the girl than risk Naruto falling into the hands of the Akatsuki.

'' I thank you for this chance, Hokage-Sama.'' Said the girl with politeness and a small smirk of gratitude.

''No need to thank me. I'm not doing this for you.'' Said Tsunade as she waved off the girl's compliment.

''I know.'' Assured the girl but she still kept the smile on her face.

Tsunade gave a sigh, hoping that this was the right choice, but there was no use worrying about it now. ''Of course, I can't send you alone and unsupervised. I'll have you accompany a team consisting of two Chunin and two Jounin.'' The underlying message was clear: If Kurotsuchi were to try anything, she was in for a rough time. Having to face two Chunins would be challenging enough, but having the support of two full-fledged Jounin would make any attempts she might make very difficult. And not to mention, that they were going to the Land of Wind. If she were to somehow escape, there wasn't a lot of places to run off to since it was mostly dessert, she would be tracked down easily without any obstacles to throw off any pursuers. ''And I'll take one additional measure.'' Informed the blonde as she signaled the purple-haired ANBU in the room that until now had stayed completely silent.

Said ANBU nodded before proceeding to walk towards them as Kurotsuchi looked at the woman intently. Then, the ANBU stood just beside the tomboy as she faced the Hokage obediently.

''You can take off your mask.'' Commanded the Sannin, which prompted Kurotsuchi to raise an eyebrow.

The purple-haired woman gave a small bow before she straightened herself up once again, and placed her hand on her white cat porcelain mask before she took it off completely, revealing the young woman's face.

This was the first time Kurotsuchi had ever seen the ANBU unmasked, and she could admit that the young woman was very pretty. She had a youthful face with fair skin, brown eyes, and her forehead was covered by uneven bangs of her purple hair, she also used red lipstick.

''Why don't you introduce yourself to the girl, and explain to her your mission while you are at it'' Suggested the Hokage with a smile.

''Of course, Tsunade-Sama.'' Said the woman with another small bow before she turned to look at the Iwa girl. ''My name is Uzuki Yugao. I will be accompanying you in your mission, both to keep an eye on you and watch over you. If you try anything against my fellow leaf Shinobi my blade will be on your throat before you can even blink. Alternatively, I will also ensure that your security is not compromised while we are in the Land of wind.'' Informed Yugao. Since Suna Shinobi, just like Konoha ninja, had a deep hatred for Iwa they had to make sure that the girl was not harmed while she was there. It wasn't likely that they were going to make any attempts on the tomboy's life since she was under Konoha's protection right now and Suna Shinobi would not risk starting an international conflict with their allies and especially right now that their Kazekage was missing.

Kurotsuchi evaluated Yugao from head to toe, trying to make something of the woman. So Yugao was going to be serving a weird role of both overseer and bodyguard? Interesting. She looked competent at the very least so that was good; she didn't have any intention of going around backstabbing the Konoha pricks, so she wasn't bothered to have her guard be a skilled Kunoichi, and in fact, she welcomed it.

''Any objections?'' Asked the purple-haired beauty.

''None at all.'' The pink-eyed girl replied simply before she turned again to face the Hokage. ''You said something about a team that was also coming?'' Inquired the girl, remembering the Sannin mention sending her along with another team.

Tsunade gave her an amused grin which only served to confuse the girl. But before she could say anything, there was a knock on the door that drew everyone's attention. Tsunade smirk got even wider, and while still keeping her smile, she gave permission to enter. ''Come in''

Then, the door burst open and the strangest man Kurotsuchi had ever seen in her life entered the office along with a mini clone of said man, a girl, and someone that Kurotsuchi could only assume was a Hyuga. ''Yosh! I heard that my team was requested! So what can I and my lovely students do for you, Hokage-Sama!?'' Exclaimed the strange man in excitement.

''I can already feel my flames of youth burning stronger! We are ready for anything, right Gai-Sensei!?'' Said the boy doppelganger as his other two team members groaned in exasperation.

Kurotsuchi stared in horror at the duo. She wasn't even paying attention to the rest of the team by this point. Now she knew why the Hokage had given her that sly smirk earlier when she asked about these freaks.

Upon looking at the girl's face, Yugao couldn't help but smile with amusement at her reaction, but that was short lived when she remembered that she had to go with them too. And speaking of which...

''Ahh, I see you are here too, Yugao-San. What a surprise.'' Said the friendly Gai upon seeing his old acquaintance.

''Is nice seeing you too, Gai-san.'' Responded the purple-haired woman amicably but still feeling a bit tense. Even if she liked Gai and had a lot of respect for his abilities as a Shinobi, she still found tiresome to deal with the Taijutsu specialist's energetic and unique personality.

''First things first, Gai I want you to meet Kurotsuchi. I'm sure you must have heard of her already.'' Said Tsunade with seriousness.

Gai and the rest of his team put on puzzled faces as they finally directed their looks to the pink-eyed girl.

Kurotsuchi wasn't enjoying being the center of attention of these weirdos, but there was no helping it since if they were going to be traveling together so she might as well get used to it.

Gai's usually cheerful and energetic expression was stoic as he regarded the Iwa Kunoichi. _''So this is the prisoner I have been hearing so much about lately''_ Thought the Taijutsu specialist as this was his first time meeting the girl. She did look competent despite being young; the way she carried herself showed that she was experienced for her age, and on top of that, he heard she was a Jounin too.

Meanwhile, the rest of Team Gai were having different reactions. Lee was confused, as he had never seen the girl around before and for some reason her presence seemed to be making a tense atmosphere.

Tenten was unsure of what to make of the girl. She heard that an enemy Kunoichi was in custody in the village and judging by her uniform this person had to be it. But even if she was an enemy, the girl didn't look much different from your average person (save for the pink eyes). When Tenten imagined an enemy that was dangerous enough to keep confined, she pictured an imposing and mean looking Shinobi, but this girl seemed normal enough if a bit rough.

However, Neji wasn't even attempting to hide his distrust and dislike for the girl if the glare he was sending her way was anything to go by.

Rock Lee couldn't understand why everyone seemed so apprehensive about the unfamiliar girl, so he approached his two teammates and asked in a low whisper. ''Guys, why is everyone so tense all of a sudden?''

''Haven't you heard? Supposedly there is an enemy Kunoichi in the village, and if I had to guess she must be the prisoner, just look at her headband.'' Said Tenten, also keeping her voice down as she leaned in to better talk to Rock Lee. ''And not only that, but I think she is supposed to be someone important in her village or something.'' Added the weapons user.

''It has been a hot topic among the Jounin too, actually.'' Informed Neji, joining in their conversation but also whispering just like them. ''Honestly, I'm not too surprised you haven't heard since all you do is train all the time.'' Neji scolded Lee, but he still kept his eyes on the Iwa girl at all times.

As his students continued to discuss among themselves, Gai continued to evaluate the pink-eyed girl with seriousness. But after a solid minute of keeping a stony face, he decided that there was no point in doing this anymore, since if the Hokage was introducing her to his team, there had to be a good reason for having the girl present. ''Nice meeting you, young Kurotsuchi! I'm Maito Gai, the beautiful green beast of Konoha and this is my team!'' Said Gai cheerfully as he broke one of his usual gleaming smiles along with his classic nice guy pose with a thumbs up.

Kurotsuchi could only stare at the man in disbelief. This was Konoha's famous Green beast!? This weirdo was Maito Gai?! The man was supposed to be strong enough to rival Kakashi and this guy wasn't what the tomboy had in mind. Sure, he wasn't as well known as the copy ninja, but in Iwa they tried to keep tabs on every powerful Konoha Shinobi, and as far as strength went he ranked pretty high. Kurotsuchi didn't know how to react to the man's eccentric attitude, so she just nodded dumbly with an unsure look. ''L-likewise. I guess'' Little by little, Kurotsuchi was starting to be convinced that every strong Konoha ninja had to be wrong in the head in some way, it just seemed that it was a rule around here.

''It is my pleasure!'' Said Gai loudly to the girl before turning to Tsunade. ''And what would be the reason for this friendly reunion if I may ask, Hokage-Sama?'' Asked the man good-naturedly.

The blonde woman cleared her throat before she started speaking. ''I have called you all here because I have a mission for you. As you have probably heard by now, the Kazekage has been kidnapped by the Akatsuki.'' That reminder got everyone to get serious once again and they all nodded. ''I have already dispatched Kakashi and his team to deal with this issue, but I feel that they may need backup. So I'm sending you as their reinforcements.'' Explained the Hokage with authority.

While Gai and Tenten nodded in understanding, Neji gave a step forward. ''Excuse me if a sound rude, Hokage-Sama, but why is the Iwa girl here? Surely you aren't intending in sending her with us?'' Inquired the Hyuga prodigy as said Kunoichi glared at him for undermining her.

''As a matter of fact Hyuga, I am. I was just getting to that until you interrupted me.'' Said Tsunade with a frown directed to the boy.

Neji winced at being on the receiving end of a scolding from the Sannin so he just decided to drop the issue and kept quiet.

''Though, Hokage-Sama, even if Neji can be blunt, I too wonder on the purpose of her coming along. Nothing against her is just an unusual decision.'' Added Gai quickly once he noticed the annoyed look on the tomboy's face.

''It just so happens that the Akatsuki member that kidnapped the Kazekage is a former Iwa Shinobi and Kurotsuchi is familiar with him. Her knowledge on the missing-nin fighting style will be a huge boon in your mission.'' Explained the Sannin. ''And if you are worried about having to keep an eye on her, that is why Yugao is here; she will be watching the girl at all times and will serve as additional manpower should the need arise. You are to leave immediately and I'm sure this goes without saying, but this is considered an S-rank mission.'' Finished the Hokage.

Team Gai wasn't feeling particularly confident about working with an enemy. Who knew what the girl could try to pull if they were busy performing such a dangerous mission and were distracted to properly watch over her? Even the usually good-natured and naive Lee was feeling some reservation at the prospect.

''Understood, Hokage-Sama! Just leave everything to us!'' Said Gai with a thumbs up before he turned to his team and his two other temporarily companions. ''Let's go, everyone, there is no time to lose! Let your flames of youth shine through!'' Exclaimed the man with a passion.

''Of course, Gai-sensei! I won't let you or the team down!'' Said Lee as he too joined his idol in his enthusiasm.

Kurotsuchi saw both the girl and the Hyuga sigh and groan respectively, and she couldn't blame them for it if this is what they had to endure every day. And seeing the preoccupied look on Yugao's face, it pretty much confirmed that this trip was going to feel like an eternity.

-Outskirts in the Land of Fire-

Kurotsuchi, Yugao, and Team Gai had been traveling for almost a day jumping from tree to tree with haste. And for the Iwa girl, the travel had been surprisingly quiet, considering that Gai was the leader of the mission. She guessed that despite the man's quirks, he still could keep himself serious when the situation called for it, and she was glad for that. However, there was something that had been bothering her for a while now, which was that the girl of team Gai had been staring at her for most of the trip. Even if the girl tried to hide it, Kurotsuchi could tell that she was being watched by her, and she finally had enough of that.

''Okay that's it, I know you have been staring at me this whole time.'' Said Kurotsuchi accusingly, which made Tenten blush faintly at being caught, and even Lee and Neji directed their attention at the interaction between the girls as they jumped from branch to branch. ''If you have a problem with me or something, just spit it out already.'' Said the tomboy with a harsh look.

''Is not that at all.'' Said Tenten still feeling a bit ashamed. ''I was just looking at your sword and I was wondering where you got it'' Asked the weapons user as she pointed at the blade in Kurotsuchi's waist.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at the question. _''Is that what she was curious about?''_ Thought the pink-eyed Kunoichi in confusion. ''It was my mother's sword, and I don't see how is this your business.'' Said the Iwa girl brusquely.

''You sure about that? Because I'm pretty sure that your sword is the same one I fixed for Naruto the other day.'' Responded Tenten with incredulity, and now is was her who was looking at Kurotsuchi judgmentally.

''Oh, are you saying I stole it? Is that it?!'' Said the tomboy with indignation at Tenten's claims. ''I'll have you know that the idiot got it fixed for me, so you can take your accusations somewhere else!'' The nerve of the girl to be saying that her mother's heirloom wasn't really hers, it really made Kurotsuchi angry.

Tenten widened her eyes in surprise. ''Wait, so you know Naruto?'' she remembered Naruto mention that he was repairing the sword for a friend, but never in a million years did Tenten imagine that his friend was going to be an Iwa Kunoichi who was also Konoha's prisoner on top of it. Even Lee and Neji seemed taken aback from the revelation.

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''Yes, I know him. You could even say we are f-friends.'' Said the girl, a bit reluctant. She was still getting used to the idea of being friends with the blond, so it was still weird to say it out loud, especially to complete strangers.

Rock Lee's face lit up at hearing the girl. ''Then, I'm sorry for not introducing myself properly before. If you are a friend of Naruto-Kun is only appropriate to be polite. I'm Rock Lee, please forgive my rudeness.'' Said the Taijutsu user. He had been feeling strange and reserved at having to work alongside a supposed enemy, but if she was on good terms with Naruto then she couldn't be so bad.

''Sure...I'm Kurotsuchi, though you already knew that.'' Said the tomboy dully. Even if she was Naruto's friend, she still thought that the weird boy was just too trusting. She supposed it was also part of his weirdness.

''And I'm Tenten.'' Said the weapons user, since Lee was already introducing himself she might as well also do it, if only out of obligation.

Then, Lee turned to his other team member. ''Why don't you introduce yourself too, Neji?'' Suggested the spandex wearing ninja expectantly.

Neji eyed the Iwa Kunoichi coldly, and for a moment, he considered not giving an answer to make it even more obvious that he didn't like her and had no interest in interacting with her whatsoever. But he also didn't want to make a scene over, this so he decided to go along with it. ''Hmph...Hyuga Neji.'' Said the Byakugan user plainly. He had learned a long time ago that you could not trust foreign ninja. Kumo's machinations, a supposedly neutral nation, were responsible for the death of his father and almost getting Hinata kidnapped. So if you couldn't even drop your guard around neutral ninja, he sure as hell wasn't going to do it with a Kunoichi from an openly hostile village.

Neji's explicit cold behavior towards Kurotsuchi once again made the atmosphere heavy and everyone got silent.

Kurotsuchi was already getting fed up with all this; almost all her interactions with Naruto's friends ended the same way: With them hating her or disliking her. Even if she would not even consider getting along with Konoha assholes if she was given the chance, the fact was that she did not have that luxury right now, and always having everyone give her the cold shoulder was starting to get on her nerves. Besides, she was on a mission with them right now, so it was for everyone's benefit that they tried to get along.

And with all that in mind, Kurotsuchi tried to salvage what she could of the conversation. ''Hey. Tenten, correct?'' Asked the tomboy to the weapons user.

The female member of Team Gai looked at Kurotsuchi with a quizzical look. ''Yes?''

''You said that you fixed my blade?'' Asked the pink-eyed girl as Tenten had mentioned something along those lines before.

Tenten nodded. ''I did.''

''I wanted to commend you on your work, the sword is as good as new.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a small appreciating grin. ''You have talent.''

Tenten blushed with modesty. She did not expect a compliment from the brash girl and her character didn't seem like the type to do that sort of stuff either, so it came as a surprise. ''Thanks, I'm glad you like it. Naruto didn't tell me who it was for, so I was worried that whoever it was, didn't appreciate how much work I put on it.'' Said Tenten with a small smile of her own.

''Tenten is an expert when it comes to weapons. If you think she is good at fixing them, wait until you see her using them.'' Added Lee cheerfully, happy that the mood had brightened again.

''Is that so?'' Asked Kurotsuchi curiously.

''Well, I don't like to brag but I do spend a lot of time practicing with a wide array of weapons, so I do know more than a few things.'' Said Tenten with a proud smile.

As the teenagers talked, Yugao was glad that at least she apparently wasn't going to have to worry about them being at each other's throats, so that was something at least.

Just as Yugao, Gai took a moment to glance back and watch his students converse with the Iwa girl, and he couldn't help but smile warmly at the interaction. He knew that she was an enemy Kunoichi and all, but he was willing to give her a chance as long as she behaved. After all, the flames of youth didn't care for nationality.

''Gai, wait!''

Gai and the rest of his companions halted at the sudden noise, and to their surprise, a small pug dog with brown fur and dark snout and ears, wearing a blue vest and a Konoha headband appeared before them.

''Pakkun? What are you doing here? Did Kakashi send you?'' Asked Gai at the small animal.

''That's right.'' Said the dog with his seemingly always bored face. ''And I see you have a couple of guests with you.'' Said Pakkun as he glanced at Kurotsuchi and Yugao.

The tomboy was a bit dumbfounded by the talking dog. Yes, she knew that it was most likely a summon and there were a lot of them that could talk, but this was her first time seeing one of them. Yugao on her part didn't seem fazed in the least as she had already worked with Kakashi's dogs a couple of times when the copy ninja used to work in ANBU.

''Yo.'' Greeted the dog as he regarded both women and lifted a paw in a salute.

''Hi.'' Said Kurotsuchi dumbly as she waved unsurely at the animal.

''Nice to see you, Pakkun.'' Said Yugao in a friendly manner.

''It's been a while since I last saw you, Yugao. glad to see you again safe and sound considering your job.'' Said the dog politely.

''I can say the same to you.'' Replied the purple haired beauty.

''So, what did you come here for?'' Urged Neji as he interrupted the conversation and reminded the summon of the task at hand.

''Sorry, I'm getting sidetracked.''The dog apologized once he realized his blunder, and now everyone waited attentively for what the animal had to say. ''I came here to inform you all that the Akatsuki that kidnapped the Kazekage have fled to the Land of Rivers. And of the two teams, yours is the closest to them.''

''The Land of Rivers?'' Repeated Gai. ''We are close indeed, almost at the border with them in fact. And the Land of Rivers is small, it doesn't even take a day to traverse it.'' Informed Gai to everyone present.

''Also I'll be helping you track them down, I already got their scent.'' Added Pakkun.

''Then there is no time to lose. Let's go, everyone!'' Ordered Gai before he resumed his pace, even faster than before. The rest of the squad didn't waste any time either and quickly followed suit towards their destination.

-Land of Rivers-

In just a few hours, Gai and his group were already deep into the Land of Rivers territory, but now they had resorted to traveling on the ground since the region didn't have big forests like the Land of Fire, and instead, the land was a rocky terrain that had the occasional river flowing through it which was appropriate considering it was the Land of Rivers. Pakkun was currently in the lead of the formation as he followed the trail of the Akatsuki members.

''How much longer until we reach their hideout? I don't want to sound whiny but I'm starting to get tired already.'' Said a weary Tenten. They had barely rested since they started their mission and she wasn't as fit as the rest of her team, especially Gai and Lee.

Kurotsuchi refrained from voicing her complains but she felt the same as the weapons user. Ever since she became Konoha's prisoner she hadn't been training as she should and was already starting to get out of shape.

''Judging by the strength of the scent, we are close. It shouldn't take us more than a couple of hours.'' Reassured the pug, but after a few seconds, his expression became severe as he started sniffing the air. ''Someone is approaching us, and fast!''

Everyone got startled at the dog's warning and Neji didn't waste any time to activate his Byakugan. ''Behind us!'' Yelled the Hyuga just in time as everyone scattered to avoid a mighty blow that had been aimed at their group.

Everyone stood a safe distance from whatever it had been that almost mauled them, and when the dust cleared off they could see the familiar figure of Kisame holding a dusty Samehada.

''Some good reflexes you have there.'' Said the blue skinned man with a snarky smile. ''I hope that you make for an interesting fight, you bizarre beast.'' Added the swordsman as he regarded Gai.

''This guy again?!'' Muttered Kurotsuchi with a bit of fear. The last time she fought the man he made her look like an amateur, and she just got out of that fight with her neck still attached to her thanks to Akatsuchi and her father's interference.

Kisame looked at the girl and his face lit up in realization at who she was. ''So we meet again, girlie. I wonder if you learned your lesson from last time, but I guess we are about to find out won't we?'' Said Kisame in a mocking tone.

''You know this person?'' A puzzled Gai asked Kurotsuchi.

 _''You know me too, dumbass.''_ Thought the shark-like man with a deadpan look.

''I faced him once before.'' Said Kurotsuchi simply. She would rather not elaborate on the full circumstances of the fight since she had been trying to capture Naruto a the time.

Meanwhile, Neji was taking advantage of their small talk and took a moment to analyze the Akatsuki member with his Byakugan, which made the veins around his eyes bulge, and as he did, he let a small gasp of surprise.

''Neji, what's wrong?'' Asked Tenten with concern. It wasn't often that the stoic Hyuga showed any signs of being startled.

''That guy's Chakra is unreal. I haven't seen this much since Naruto.'' Said the branch member in disbelief.

''To send someone like him then it must mean that we are still on time, right?'' Said Lee as he got into a fighting stance. One if their worries was that they didn't know if they could make it in time to save Gaara, but Kisame's presence pretty much confirmed that they still had a chance or the Akatsuki wouldn't even have bothered in sending him to deal with them.

''Probably he is just here to stall us. Our numbers advantage would make a fight unfavorable even for someone like him.'' Added Kurotsuchi. She knew that it wouldn't make sense for the Akatsuki to risk losing one of their members in a fight to the death and even less so when it wasn't even in a fight against a Jinchuuriki, their main targets.

Yugao agreed with the girl, this was most likely a measure by the Akatsuki to get a bit more time as they secured the Kazekage's Biju. And if her guess was correct, their plan was going to succeed if they didn't do something to not play along with them. Time was of the essence and they couldn't risk losing their advantage when the price to pay was the Kazekage's life.

''Gai'' Called the ANBU in a low voice so only their group could hear her, and once the Taijutsu user directed his attention to her, she continued. ''I'm sorry for even suggesting this, but do you think you could hold him by yourself?''

Her suggestion alarmed everyone. To let one of them fight an Akatsuki member by themselves seemed like something akin to suicide.

Yugao Saw that Gai's students were ready to argue back, so she rushed to interrupt them lest they reveal their strategy to their enemy in their outburst. ''Please keep your voice down even if you disagree with me, but just hear me out. We don't know how much time the Kazekage has left, but one thing we do know is that right now we are still a threat to the Akatsuki's plans and they know this, and I doubt they would have sent this guy without thinking it through. I do believe that he is capable of holding us off long enough for us to fail. The only option I can see is if we rush past him, but he won't leave us alone unless someone keeps him busy.'' Explained the purple haired beauty. As an ANBU, she was used to choosing the most logical course of action even if it was dangerous. As Shinobi, they had to be ready to risk their lives for the mission.

''I hate to say it kids, but I think that Yugao is right. Ensuring the Kazekage's life should be our priority above all else.'' Said Pakkun with remorse.

''No way I'm leaving Gai-sensei behind!'' Said an exalted Lee, but thankfully, he was being mindful of the volume of his voice just as Yugao had asked.

''Lee is right, I'm sure that if we all work together we can deal with this freak in no time at all that he will barely slow us down!'' Said Tenten also in a whisper.

Neji stayed silent as he debated their dilemma. He knew that what Yugao proposed was the most logical step to take as Shinobi, but that didn't mean he liked it. But still, he couldn't bring himself to voice his opinion as he was uncertain about the appropriate decision to make.

Gai was deep in thought as he pondered on Yugao's suggestion. It was true that it seemed like the best thing to do for the success of the mission. Frankly, he had never been the best to make hard calls like these, that was one of the reasons that he had never been fit to join ANBU like Kakashi and Yugao had even when he had wanted to try his hand at the job. And after much thinking, he smiled now that he had made up his mind. He was glad that Yugao had come with them to have more insight on this kind of matters.

''You guys go on ahead, I can deal with this by my own.'' Said Gai, much to the surprise of his students.

''But, Gai-sensei you can't...'' Lee started to complain only to be silenced as his teacher lifted a hand to stop him in his tracks.

''Don't worry about me. I wouldn't do this if I didn't think I could do it.'' Replied Gai with a reassuring smile and a thumbs up.

''But are you sure this is wise, Sensei?'' Inquired the Hyuga, finally voicing some concern as Tenten nodded in agreement with her teammate.

''I promise I won't take unnecessary risks.'' Added Gai still keeping his smile. Besides, it was the truth. If things got hairy he could always open the Inner Gates, and he was second to none in speed when under its effects, so he was confident that he could retreat it the need presented itself.

Finally, his students calmed down a bit, and begrudgingly, they nodded in understanding.

''Good. Once we split up, Neji and Yugao-San will be in charge of the team while I'm gone.'' Informed Gai before he regarded Kisame once more. ''But first, we have to make a distraction, force him to let us pass. Once he realizes what we are trying to do, he won't make it easy on us. Be ready for my signal.'' Finished Gai as his students, Kurotsuchi, Pakkun, and Yugao got ready to act at a moment's notice.

Kisame was impatiently waiting for their little chat to be over, whatever it may be they were talking about. As he had come here to stall them it suited him just fine if they wanted to delay themselves by discussing some random strategy, he was confident he could take them on despite anything they might come up with. This wasn't his real body anyway, so even if they somehow managed to defeat him there was no real risk for him. But still, he wished they would just have attacked right away instead of letting him bore to death.

Then, the blue skinned man saw that the group was getting ready to act, and he smiled with eagerness to start things up already. ''Took you long enough, I was starting to wonder if you would do all the work for me, but I'm glad you aren't; that would be boring don't you guys think?'' He saw Gai give some kind of order, and all of them, dog included, started rushing at him. He didn't waste a single second more and quickly performed some hand seals. ''Suiton: Bakusui Shoha! (Water Release: Exploding Water Colliding Wave)'' Then, Kisame proceeded to spew a huge quantity of water from his mouth, and in just a few seconds, the wasteland they were on was turned into a small ocean as the swordsman rode the giant wave towards his enemies.

Everyone stopped momentarily to evaluate the strength of the technique, and once they saw the massive wave of water, they had no choice but to jump and attempt to stand over it or be swept away by the current. Kisame took advantage of their vulnerable position in the air and quickly approached Gai with his sword ready to end the Taijutsu master.

 _''I got you now''_ Thought triumphantly the former Kiri ninja. But before he could skewer Gai, Lee was immediately upon him, launching a barrage of kicks.

''Konoha Daisenpu! (Leaf Great Whirlwind)'' Said the Green wearing Chunin as launched three kicks in mid-air, one low, then a middle one and a high one, before finishing with a drop kick.

Unfortunately for Lee, Kisame managed to block all of his attacks with his forearm; however, the strength of the kicks, especially the drop kick, was enough to push him back. Not to mention that Lee's physical blows were strong enough that even blocking them hurt the Kiri ninja.

As soon as Neji fell on the surface of the water and regained his balance, he took the opening that Lee created and used his own Jutsu. ''Hakke Kusho! (Eight Trigrams Vacuum Palm)'' Yelled the Hyuga as he thrust his palm towards the missing-nin, and released a high compressed vacuum-like air that blew Kisame even farther back.

 _''Pesky brats, they are more resourceful than I thought''_ Thought an annoyed Kisame before just barely blocking with Samehada a metal ball aimed at his head, courtesy of the girl with the twin buns, but as soon as he did that, the ball exploded to release several smaller balls made of paper that detonated and enveloped the surrounding area in smoke. Kisame acted quickly and swung his bandage wrapped sword around him with great strength, rapidly dissipating most of the smoke. What he did not expect to see, however, was the entire group save Gai fleeing the scene. It was now that he realized that they weren't planning on sticking around like he expected.

He had thought that they were going to feel confident enough to engage in a fight with him once they saw that they outnumbered him, but that wasn't the case, and being ignored just served to piss him off. ''Where do you think you are going?! Suiton: Suikodan no Jutsu! (Water Release: Water Shark Bullet Technique)'' Yelled the enraged man as he slammed his hand on the water's surface and six large sharks made of liquid, one for each fleeing Shinobi, started giving chase in an effort to stop their advance before they got even farther.

While they sprinted away, Tenten, Neji, Rock Lee, Yugao, and even Pakkun, looked back to see the sharks gaining distance on them.

Kurotsuchi, on her part, was busy doing some preemptive hand seals. ''Yoton: Sekkaigyo no Jutsu! (Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' As soon as any of the sharks so much as dared to surface in an attempt to munch on them, they were smacked in the face by the tomboy's quicklime, and as the sticky substance mixed with their watery bodies, it hardened. And in just a few seconds, all the sharks sank like rocks to the bottom of the makeshift lake. Everyone (save for Neji) gave the Iwa girl a thankful look and she responded with a proud grin.

Kisame clicked his tongue at seeing his sharks promptly handled, and even though all that happened in just a few seconds, the brats were fast enough that they were already well into the distance. He would have to give chase and do it quickly if he hoped to catch up, but as he attempted to go after them, he was forced to block a blow from a nunchaku that Gai was now wielding. ''You are in my way, beast'' Snarled the shark-like man.

''I'm your opponent now, your only concern is me'' Said Gai as he tried to push back the great sword with the chain of his nunchaku.

''Then I'll deal with you quickly and then I'll hunt down those brats of yours like dogs for pissing me off.'' Said the angry blue skinned man.

''You'll have to go through me first, and I won't make it easy on you. So do your worst.'' Said Gai with a harsh look not normally present in the energetic man. Having his precious students threatened made his blood boil.

''You asked for it'' Warned the swordsman as he pulled Samehada from his struggle against Gai's weapon before he swung it again at his enemy, only to be blocked again with surprising strength. And as Gai started counterattacking himself, their vicious fight started once more. Gai hoped that this strategy bought them enough time to succeed, but above all else, he hoped that they would be safe while he dealt with the dangerous missing-nin.

 **Author's note: Here it is, the next chapter! And as promised this time it didn't take me as long to update like last time, not even close. And actually I had to split this chapter in two since it was getting too long for a single chapter in my opinion; it might not seem like it since now is of average length, but believe me it was going to be long otherwise if I hadn't done this. On the plus side, I hope that it means that I will have the next chapter up soon since I already have a part of it done.**

 **Regarding the chapter itself I hope that you guys liked the interactions in this chapter. I wasn't sure how I was going to handle Kurotsuchi's interaction with Gai and his team and, with Yugao on top of, it was though. But I'm happy with how it went at the very least.**

 **And as always please review if you have the chance! I'll see you guys soon :)**


	16. Chapter 16: Reunion

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 16: Reunion

-Land of Rivers-

Kurotsuchi and company, were already well on their way to catch up with Gaara and his captors. But despite that, the remaining Team Gai could only think about the master they were forced to leave behind. They knew that Gai was one of the strongest Shinobi in Konoha, but still, going against an Akatsuki member by himself could be a bit too much for what the man could handle.

Kurotsuchi and Yugao eyed the concerned faces of their companions, and the ANBU tried to keep them focused on the mission. ''I know that you are worried about Gai and it's understandable, but you must remember that in a mission the objective comes first, even when we have to put our life on the line. Gai knows this and so do you. It's always hard, but we have no choice but to leave our feelings aside for now.'' Said the purple haired woman.

''I know that.'' Said Rock Lee with a sigh. ''But still, I can't stop myself from feeling guilty. I left Gai-Sensei behind in a dangerous predicament, it feels as though I ran away.'' Said the boy, berating himself.

''I'm just as worried as you, but Yugao-san is right, Lee.'' Said Neji. He knew that as long as he was in charge of the team he had a responsibility to act as a leader and that included keeping his teammate's head straight. '' Gai-Sensei knew what he was getting himself into and even he knew that it was a necessary action to secure the success of the mission. Besides, Gai-Sensei is not weak, he won't let himself go down even against someone like that.''

''He is always telling us that he believes in our strength. Well, we also have to believe in him.'' Added Tenten despite herself being worried too.

Rock Lee sighed again but he quickly put on a resolute face. ''Thanks, Tenten, Neji. I need to have faith in Gai-sensei and the least I can do is give it my all to see this mission through to honor the risk he is taking.'' Said Lee with determination.

Tenten and Neji smiled at their teammate, glad that he was putting himself together.

Kurotsuchi watched intently the interaction between the team and the bond they shared. Even with all their differences, they were close. She couldn't help but miss her own comrades back in Iwa. She wondered what Akatsuchi, gramps, and her father were up to. But before she could start pondering on the issue too much, her train of thought was interrupted by Pakkun.

''We are almost there so be on your guard. It won't be long now.'' Announced the pug.

The notice put everyone on edge as they started wondering what to expect once they got there. Luckily, they didn't have to wait long, as in just a few minutes, they reached what appeared to be a huge cave in the middle of a lake. The cave had a Torii gate just in front of it, but the entrance was sealed with a giant boulder that had a paper tag seal on it.

Everyone stood in the lake just before the boulder, as they examined the spot.

''Is this the place?'' Asked Kurotsuchi curiously.

Pakkun nodded. ''Yes, the Kazekage is inside.''

''I can indeed feel several Chakra signatures in there. However, some of them are rather bizarre.'' Said Yugao with a frown.

''You can sense them? Yugao-San, are you by any chance a sensor type?'' Inquired Tenten.

''Yes, I am. Sorry for not mentioning it before, it must have slipped my mind.'' Said Yugao as she scratched her cheek sheepishly.

Neji also decided to give some input, so he activated his Byakugan to get a look inside. He could definitely see the Kazekage, but he was currently being suspended in the air by some strange force as huge quantities of Chakra left his body by the second. Also, he could understand why Yugao said that the rest of the Chakra signatures seemed off since only two of the other people inside of it seemed to actually be physically present; the rest of them looked like some kind of holograms, and all of them just stood there motionless as they all performed a single hand seal. It was a strange scene, all in all.

''Neji, what do you see?'' Asked Lee with curiosity.

''I can't find the words to properly describe it, but I can tell you that the Kazekage is definitely there, and so are the Akatsuki members that kidnapped him.'' Said the Hyuga.

 _''So Deidara is most likely in there with him''_ Thought the tomboy darkly with a scowl at the prospect of finally giving the mad bomber what was coming to him.

''Then there is no time to lose. I'll try to open the way.'' Said Lee as he took a stance to punch the big rock. He wasn't sure if he could destroy it in one hit like Gai would have, but he was sure going to try it.

''Wait, you will just end up hurting yourself.'' Warned Yugao to the gree-clad boy.

Rock Lee stopped the blow he had been about to throw, and along with the rest of his companions, he looked at Yugao with a puzzled expression. ''Why do you say that, Yugao-San?'' Asked the Taijutsu user.

''Take a look at that.'' Said the ANBU as she pointed at the paper tag that was on the boulder. ''That is a Five-Seal Barrier. Nothing will be able to destroy the boulder unless we get rid of it first.''

A look of realization hit Lee. ''I see. Amazing, Yugao-San. Not only are you a sensor type, I didn't know you knew about seals too!'' Said Lee in admiration.

''I'm not an expert or anything, but I do know a little bit about them.'' Said the purple-haired woman with a shook of her head and crossed arms.

''So, how do we get rid of it?'' Inquired the Hyuga.

''We have to take those tags at the same time. There have to be five in total. The rest should be somewhere around here; they won't be too far but they won't be too close either. We will have to split up and tear them off simultaneously.'' Explained the woman.

With this new information, Neji activated his Byakugan to look for the remaining tags, and sure enough, it only took him a couple of minutes. ''What Yugao-San says is correct. I found another four of them, but as she says, we will have to split up as they are a considerable distance away from here.'' Said the Hyuga with focus.

''But we have to take them off at the same time, don't we? How are we going to coordinate ourselves to do that if we get so far apart?'' Questioned Tenten.

Everyone started thinking on a way to overcome that particular problem when suddenly, Lee perked up. ''That's right!'' Said the boy before he took off his backpack and started searching inside of it. ''I remembered that I'm carrying some radios with me. They should come in handy.'' Just after saying that, he pulled a few devices with headphones attached to them.

''Well, that solves that problem. But we still have to decide who will stay behind to remove this one. It has to be someone able to deal with the boulder.'' Said Pakkun.

''I can do it. My Doton Jutsu will be more than enough to take care of it.'' Said Kurotsuchi with confidence.

It was now that everyone realized something: This was a risky choice since the security around the girl would be considerable weaker once everyone separated. In light of this, everyone stared worriedly in concern at the Iwa Kunoichi.

Kurotsuchi wondered why everyone was looking at her like that all of a sudden, but it only took her a moment to understand why. She got serious as everyone's gaze was upon her, but she couldn't deny that the thought of bailing out of there once most of them were gone seemed very tempting.

Yugao was also uncertain about this idea but they had no choice but to do it, so it was up to her to convince everyone. ''It's fine, I'll stay with Kurotsuchi. I have faith that she will behave, isn't that right?'' Yugao asked Kurotsuchi with a warning tone in her voice.

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''I promise.'' She said, but they didn't seem to believe it completely. She couldn't blame them, she didn't fully believe herself either.

Lee felt relieved at hearing her say that, but Tenten ,and especially Neji, didn't seem convinced.

''Also, I'm sorry to have to ask this of you Pakkun, but would you mind helping us with one of the tags?'' Added Yugao.

Pakkun raised an eyebrow and was about to ask why they needed him for that but he quickly realized what the problem was: If Kurotsuchi was going to be guarded by Yugao, then that meant that they still needed one more person to go for one of the seals. ''Fine, you can count on me.'' Assured the small dog, and after they helped to awkwardly attach one of the radios to him they were ready to go.

''Neji will be giving you instructions on how to get to the rest of your tags on the way. Also, once you are all in position give a signal so I know when to tear the seal off too.'' Ordered the ANBU.

''I promise I won't fail!'' Said Lee with a thumbs up and a grin.

''I'll do my best.'' Added Tenten.

''I got it.'' Said Pakkun.

Neji on his part just silently nodded.

Kurotsuchi then saw them leave one by one after Neji gave them a general direction of where to go to, but before the Hyuga left, he stopped just beside her.

''I'm warning you, try anything while we are gone and I will hunt you down.'' Threatened the branch member with a harsh look.

''I got it already, just worry about your task, Hyuga.'' Responded Kurotsuchi with a cold gaze of her own.

Neji gave an annoyed grunt and shot her one last glare before he too took off.

''Now all that's left for us is to wait.'' Said Yugao as she leaned on the Torii gate while she kept an eye on Kurotsuchi.

Meanwhile, the pink-eyed girl tried to play it cool, but internally, she was in turmoil. She probably would never get such a perfect chance to make a move to escape. Tsunade's decision to send her on the mission had been so rushed that she didn't have time to take proper precautions, and that was something she could not ignore. They had been expecting to go directly to the Land of Wind, where there weren't any obstacles to throw off anyone that might pursue her; this unexpected detour to the Land of Rivers worked in her favor. In this region, she had a chance to escape and they weren't that far from the border to the Land of Earth, three days at most actually. But if she didn't stop at all she would get home even faster.

Her only real obstacle right now was Yugao. If she could take her down fast she would have a clear shot to make a run for it. But could she do it? The ANBU was keeping a close eye on her so she wasn't likely to catch her off-guard if she attacked her; so she was going to have to hope that her skills surpassed Yugao's and she could defeat her fast before the rest of team Gai could come to her aid. If she was to do it, the best moment to act would be when everyone got into position, that would ensure that they would be as far away from there as the mission allowed them. How convenient for her that they had to signal them when that was the case.

Both women had been waiting for a while and Yugao had nothing to entertain herself other than hearing the radio directions that Neji gave his teammates once in a while. It was tedious for the purple-haired woman since the boy wasn't talking to her, but there was no helping it since she had to be paying attention once he did talk to her.

''Neji, Yugao-San, I'm almost in position.'' Said Lee through the radio.

''Me too.'' Also informed Tenten.

''Yugao-San, you said that we all have to remove these at the same time, correct?'' Asked Lee.

Yugao brought a hand to her ear to activate her own microphone. ''That's right. Ensure that you are ready to take it off in one swoop, so it's imperative that you wait for my signal...

As Yugao continued giving directions to the rest of the team, Kurotsuchi knew that this was it, this was the chance she had been waiting for. Yugao was currently distracted as she explained what they had to do, so the Iwa Kunoichi just had to be quick enough to cut the ANBU down before she even knew what hit her. The tomboy brought her hand to the handle of the sword in her waist before thinking her actions thorough on last time. She would have to kill Yugao swiftly, or at least, severely wound her. Then, she would have to make a fast escape, hoping that the combined efforts of team Gai weren't enough to catch her in time. She knew that she would not be able to cover her tracks, not with both Neji and Pakkun on her trail, so it would be a matter of speed, it would all come down on who got tired first. But she had to risk it, there was no telling if a chance like this would ever present itself again, if she didn't do this she might never see her home again.

She gripped her sword tighter, but before she lunged at Yugao, an image of Naruto's face flashed on her mind. For a moment, she thought of the consequences that this would bring upon the Jinchuuriki, since he had agreed to take responsibility for her that meant that he had to endure the consequences of her actions, and while she doubted that the Hokage would punish him as harshly as she should, Kurotsuchi couldn't be sure. But then, she imagined the blond's disappointed or hateful face towards the Iwa girl when he found out what she did. The thought of losing her friend was extremely disheartening for her. And what if she didn't succeed? She would lose everything: Naruto, her family, her friends, and maybe even her life.

 _''I won't make it. The odds are too stacked against me.''_ Thought the tomboy with finality as she took her hand off her sword, deciding that she would wait for a better chance in the future.

''Kurotsuchi.''

The pink-eyed girl gave a small jump of surprise at Yugao's call. She had been too deep in thought so she was startled once the ANBU addressed her.

The purple-haired woman raised an eyebrow at the girl's weird reaction but she still relayed her order anyway. ''Get yourself into position, we are about to take off the seals.''

Kurotsuchi nodded and proceeded to walk up the boulder as she stuck to its surface with Chakra. Once she got into position with one hand ready to tear the paper off, she looked at Yugao. ''You might want to get out of the way, this thing is gonna be hurled like a projectile.'' Warned the tomboy.

Yugao took the girl's advice and stepped a considerable distance away to the side from the boulder.

''Now, tear them off!'' Ordered Yugao.

Then, immediately Kurotsuchi tore the piece of paper in one swoop and she guessed that they did it right since it came off without a problem. After that, she didn't waste any time and made some hand seals. ''Doton: Kaido Shokutsu! (Earth Release: Opening Earth Rising Excavation)'' then, she put her palm on the wall of the cave, and in an instant, pillars made of stone came from the wall that launched the rock covering the entrance and it did it with such strength that the huge boulder even took the Torii gate with it when it was sent several yards away.

Now that the path was clear, Kurotsuchi and Yugao rushed inside the cave in haste. When they entered, they could see several shadowy figures standing in each finger of a huge statue that had the levitating Kazekage in front of it, and all of the members seemed to be looking directly at them. It only took a moment for the tomboy to recognize the surprised face of Deidara among the figures. Kurotsuchi could already feel her anger starting to increase before once again she started doing some hand seals. ''Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Water Trumpet)'' She then released a large jet of water from her mouth aimed at the traitorous blond and his hunched comrade with the scorpion tail, since now she was just realizing that the rest of them were just proyections.

Both Akatsuki members were forced to evade the water attack. Sasori dodged to the side while Deidara opted to jump over it.

Yugao saw her chance and made a jump for the Kazekage's body that was still suspended in mid-air. But Deidara saw that, so he quickly made a small clay bird that he hung on to with one hand, and used it to fly towards the Jinchuuriki. Deidara managed to snatch the red head first and then proceeded to give Yugao a swift kick to her ribs which sent her plummeting back into the water below.

Fortunately, Yugao managed to recover her balance on the way down, and landed standing on the surface on the water and Deidara did just the same while he carried Gaara.

Now both parties were in a standoff, and the two Akatsuki members stood side by side across the two Kunoichi while the shadowy figures of the rest of the Akatsuki members watched the exchange.

''If it isn't Kurotsuchi-Chan, long time no see. Last time I saw you, you were still a little snot-nosed brat, un.'' Said Deidara with a mocking tone.

Kurotsuchi sneered with disgust at the former Iwa ninja.''Well, enjoy this reunion since there won't be a next time once I'm done with you, Deidara-nii.'' She purposely said the last honorific with as much venom as she could muster. In the past, she used that particular honorific to refer to him in a fond way, but after everything he had done to her home, she felt nothing but contempt for the man.

''Hey Itachi, Kisame! You guys didn't say anything about an Iwa Kunoichi being in one of the teams you faced!'' Deidara complained to two of his shadowy comrades.

''She wasn't with the team I faced.'' Said the silhouette with the voice of Itachi, and aside from his voice, the only other thing that gave away that he was the Uchiha were his visible Sharingan eyes.

''I didn't think it was important, the only competent one on their team was that dumb beast, and I was quite busy fighting him. Besides, how was I supposed to know that you knew her?'' Said another figure with the voice of Kisame.

Yugao couldn't help but worry about Gai's safety. If Kisame was already back, then that had to mean that his fight with Gai was already over. She could only hope that Gai was the one who disposed of the swordsman swiftly.

''Mmm, it seems that the girl has a knack for getting in the way of our plans. This isn't the first time she hinders us from getting a Jinchuuriki.'' Said another of the holograms. This one had green eyes with a red sclera. Kurotsuchi thought that his voice sounded familiar.

''It looks like the whore didn't learn anything from last time. I think that another session with Jashin-Sama is in order. Don't you think, bitch?'' Said another one of the figures, but this time his voice was one that Kurotsuchi most definitely remembered...

''I remember you! you are that silver-haired sadistic piece shit!'' Said the enraged girl. She would never forget the asshole that almost got her killed back in the Land of Hot Water.

''Even you know her?'' Asked Sasori in wonder. How did the girl even know half of their members and was still alive?

''Hahahaha! If I know her?! She was squealing like a pig in agony when I finished with her! And now here she is, with the gall to act though in front of us.'' Said Hidan with disdain.

Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth in anger, as right now, she was surrounded with pricks that she would like to watch them die a slow death with a smile on her face. ''Laugh while you can. Next time you'll be the one that ends up screaming like a bitch.''

''Ha! Let's see if you don't suck so much by then! Or are you planning on bringing your Jinchuuriki boyfriend along with you? If the Kyuubi hadn't been with you, the battle would have been over in seconds!'' Said the Jashinist with a sneer.

Yugao was stunned and was left without words. The Iwa Kunoichi seemed to have a grudge with many of the Akatsuki members. She wondered if Kurotsuchi should feel proud to have survived those encounters with them and lived to tell the tale, or if she should be scared shitless to have so many S-ranked criminals out for her blood; Probably a bit of both, she supposed. However, this was a good moment to call for reinforcements as they were distracted. So with discretion, she brought a hand to the mic in her ear, and in a whisper she said. ''We got rid of the boulder in the cave and we are currently facing the Akatsuki, hurry back at once.''

 _''Something unexpected came up, I won't be able to go back just yet.''_ Said Neji through the headphones and he sounded tense.

 _''I also have a situation. Sorry, Yugao-San.''_ Replied Lee sounding just as upset as Neji was.

 _''Same here.''_ Added Tenten.

 _''This is why I don't usually help with these kinds of things.''_ Said Pakkun, apparently even the dog had been caught up in whatever mess the rest of them were.

''What do you mean by that? What is going on over there?! Respond!'' Murmured Yugao in worry, but to no avail, as none of them answered again. This was bad, it seemed that she and Kurotsuchi were going to have to fight the Akatsuki alone. _''Shit''_ Was the only thing that Yugao could think about right now.

Meanwhile, Deidara was surprised at hearing that the tomboy had been fighting alongside Konoha's Jinchuuriki. ''So are you working with Konoha now? And now that I think about it, that bitch accompanying you is from Konoha too. So much for that pride that you were always boasting about, now you are betraying your home?'' Said Deidara in an effort to get under the girl's skin.

Kurotsuchi's ire got even stronger at the bomber's accusations. She would not be tolerated to be called a traitor and even less so from the likes of Deidara. ''You are one to talk! If I'm working with them is because of certain circumstances that forced me to do it! The only traitors here are all of you, assholes!'' Yelled the enraged girl.

''Keep telling yourself that. Not only are you working with Konoha but you are helping them in a mission to save Suna's Kage. What, working with just one of your enemies wasn't enough? Face it, you are as much of a traitor as me and you know it, un.'' Responded the blond with a condescending smile.

Kurotsuchi's blood was almost at its boiling point by now and she was about to reply when another voice boomed through the cavern.

''That's enough!''

The conversation got silent, and everyone, including the Akatsuki, looked at a particular hologram standing on one of the fingers of the great statue. The black figure had spiky hair and the only definitive feature one could make were his strange purple eyes with a ripple pattern. Kurotsuchi wasn't sure why, but the mere look and presence of that guy made a knot in her stomach; the aura that the man gave off was intimidating enough, even when he wasn't present. She couldn't imagine how bad it would be if he were actually there.

''The extraction of the Ichibi has failed. Secure the Jinchuuriki until this situation has been dealt with.'' Said the leader. They had been at mere seconds of completing the extraction, they had got most of the Chakra of the Ichibi that it would almost make up for not having the full Biju, but that didn't mean that completely extracting it wasn't preferable. ''Sasori, Deidara, get rid of these annoyances and find a new location to continue the extraction.'' Ordered the man.

''Of course.'' Responded Sasori.

''As you wish, leader-Sama, un.'' said Deidara.

''And you, girl.'' Said the purple-eyed figure as he directed his gaze to Kurotsuchi. Said girl could feel like he was staring into her very soul, everything about that man screamed danger to her. ''If you somehow manage to escape this place with your life, you better hope that we never meet each other. If you keep interfering with our plans is only a matter of time before you know true pain.'' Said the man ominously before he regarded his subordinates once more. ''We are done here for the moment. You are all dismissed.''

The Akatsuki members could tell that their leader was angry so they didn't dare to comment anything anymore. And with that, one by one of the holograms started vanishing, and once all of them were gone, the statue started sinking into the ground as it shook the cave's interior. until it was completely gone.

''Well, Sasori no Danna, you heard leader-Sama. Sorry Kurotsuchi-chan, as much as I would like to keep catching up on old times, I fear that we have to eliminate you, un.'' Said Deidara with a confident smirk.

''Just try it, bastard. Let's see how tough you are with only one arm.'' Taunted the girl. She hadn't had a good look at Deidara until now and she was just noticing, that for some reason, the mad bomber was missing an arm.

Deidara gave an annoyed grunt at being reminded of his missing limb. ''One arm is more than enough for you to deal with you, un.''

''Then, how about against all of us?''

Kurotsuchi, Yugao, and the two Akatsuki members turned their head to look at the source of the voice, and they saw Kakashi arriving at the cave, along with Naruto, Sakura, and an old plump lady with graying hair in a bun that wore a long dark robe.

''Naruto!'' Called Kurotsuchi with a grin, glad to see the blond idiot safe and sound.

''Kurotsuchi? What are you doing here?'' Asked the puzzled blond.

''Your Hokage thought things through, and in the end, she allowed me to come help you.'' Explained the tomboy.

''That's Tsunade-Baachan for you! Now we call all work together to get Gaara back from these bastards!'' Exclaimed the orange-clad Genin.

''Glad to see you here, Kakashi-Senpai.'' Said Yugao with respect and a small smile.

''I'm glad to see you two, also. This feels just like old times, eh Yugao-San?'' Said Kakashi, remembering his old days as an ANBU.

''Wait a minute here, am I going senile, or are we really working with an Iwa Shinobi?'' Asked the old lady.

''She really is an ally.'' Said Sakura.

''I think I have spent too much time isolated. Last time I checked, Konoha and Suna were in conflict with Iwa.'' Said the old woman with a frown.

''Things haven't really changed that much, honestly. Kurotsuchi here is a special case, Chiyo-Baasama.'' Explained Kakashi.

As they were talking among themselves, so were the two Akatsuki members.

''Deidara, the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki must be among them too. This would be a good chance to capture him.'' Said Sasori.

''I bet it's the idiot looking blond. He is the loudest, just as Itachi said, un.'' Analyzed the terrorist.

''We should split the group. The Kyuubi seems especially concerned about the Ichibi, so take the Kazekage with you and see if he gives chase.'' suggested the short man.

''Good idea, Sasori no Danna, un.'' Then, Deidara proceeded to make a giant bird made of clay, and in a puff of smoke, the small sculpture he had created turned gigantic.

The bomber's action drew once again the attention of Kakashi's group.

''Hey, what do you assholes think you are doing?!'' Yelled Naruto in anger.

''You want this guy, don't you?'' Said Deidara with a mocking smile as he referred to the unconscious Gaara that he had slung over his shoulder. ''Then come get it!'' Taunted the bomber before he tossed Gaara into the bird's mouth and the artificial creature closed its beak, trapping the redhead inside.

The Kyuubi's influence on Naruto made his eyes go red, as his rage got even stronger at seeing such a blatant disrespect for Gaara's body.

Deidara didn't wait for Naruto to start charging him, so he promptly got on the bird's back and took off through the air and left the cave without giving anyone a chance to attack him.

''I won't let you take Gaara!'' Yelled the angry Naruto, and quickly gave chase to the mad bomber.

''Wait for me, Naruto! I'll help you beat that prick to a pulp.'' Said the tomboy as she also started pursuing the missing-nin.

''Kids, don't be reckless!'' Kakashi called after them. He had expected Naruto to do something as stupid as rushing after Gaara without thinking, but he hadn't expected Kurotsuchi to go along with him too. ''I'll be going with them. Sakura, stay with Chiyo-Baasama to deal with the other one.'' Commanded Kakashi.

''I'll stay and help them too. Be careful out there, Kakashi-Senpai.'' Said Yugao.

''Same to you, girls.'' Added the copy ninja before he too took off.

It didn't take long for Kakashi to catch up to the two teenagers, and now they were all currently in hot pursuit of Deidara in a canyon; they were at the bottom of it while the Akatsuki member soared above it.

''You guys should be more careful about going after an enemy so carelessly, it could be a trap.'' Scolded the Sharingan user.

Kurotsuchi blushed in embarrassment. In her eagerness to get revenge on Deidara, she acted on impulse. She just hoped that Naruto's disregard for proper Shinobi tactics wasn't rubbing off on her.

''I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, I just can't tolerate seeing Gaara treated like this.'' Naruto apologized but he still seemed to be miffed.

''Just try to be more mindful in the future.'' Said Kakashi calmly.

''Anyway, now we have to find a way to get that fucker to come down.'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I do have long range Jutsu, but at this distance, I don't know how effective they will be.'' Some of her techniques could be used at long range, but Deidara was just too far away. Not to mention, that he had always been at good maneuvering his clay mounts. He would most likely just easily dodge whatever she threw at him.

''I have nothing that will work from over here.'' Admitted Naruto with a bit of shame.

''No choice then, I'll have to go all out.'' Said Kakashi as he lifted his headband to reveal his Sharingan eye. ''I'm still getting the hang of my new Sharingan, but it'll have to do.''

Naruto had a look of confusion at that. ''What do you mean by 'new' Sharingan, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked the blond.

Kurotsuchi also raised an eyebrow at that. How could someone even get a 'new' Sharingan anyway, save for a transplant?

''Just give me a moment and I'll show you.'' Said the copy ninja as he put his hands in a ram hand seal to gather Chakra.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi waited impatiently for a few minutes while Kakashi kept gathering his Chakra. They were wondering if Deidara was going to escape at this rate when finally, Kakashi broke the silence.

''It's done.'' Informed the silver-haired man.

Both teenagers looked at Kakashi's Sharingan in amazement when they saw the eye morphing before them. The three tomoe of the Doujutsu fused together to make a stretched three pointed star that had a curve at the tips which formed a circle, making the pattern look somewhat like a pinwheel.

''What is that form? It changed, just like Itachi's!'' Exclaimed Naruto.

''I've never seen anything like this before.'' Muttered the Iwa Kunoichi. She never heard of Sharingans changing form, but to be fair, no one talked about the Doujutsu anymore since so few Uchiha remained that there was a very diminutive chance of facing one of those nowadays.

''Just a warning: I'm not very good at using it yet, so if I'm unable to end the battle with this, I'll need you guys to finish that guy off. The Jutsu I'm about to use uses a considerable amount of Chakra and puts a huge strain on my body. After I use it I won't be of much help afterward.'' Explained Kakashi.

''Don't worry about it, Kakashi-Sensei. You can leave it to us.'' Said Naruto with an unusual serious face.

''That's right, we got it.'' Assured the Kunoichi.

''I'm counting on you.'' Said Kakashi before focusing his gaze on the airborne Deidara. ''Here I go. Kamui!''

Suddenly, the area around Deidara started distorting, which also seemed to affect his form. It looked as if space itself was being sucked into a single point.

''What is going on?!'' Asked Deidara in panic. He momentarily looked back at his pursuers with the scope on his eye, and even then he could barely see Kakashi's weird eye looking at him. _''Shit, Doujutsu! And it seems to be at Itachi's level too!''_ Thought the bomber in realization.

 _''What a fearsome Jutsu.''_ Thought Kurotsuchi in awe. She realized that Kakashi's fame wasn't for nothing. No wonder everyone in Iwa dreaded facing him in combat.

 _''Incredible.''_ Was the only thing that Naruto could think of at seeing the amazing technique.

 _''I need to get out of this thing!''_ Thought Deidara with urgency. This was the first time since the chase started that he truly felt that he was in deep shit. If Hatake succeeded in his attack, he had a feeling that he was done for. He tried to steer his mount away from the distortion but to no avail, not only was the damn thing keeping him from moving too much, but it was also sucking in all around it. Finally, the core of the void distortion seemed to focus on his remaining arm, and he let out a scream of pain when it felt his limb being tore from his torso and sucked into the abyss. Luckily for him, after the Jutsu claimed his arm, the space distortion seemed to be getting back to normal.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi noticed Kakashi covering his Sharingan in pain, which caused it to break the technique. It was then when they realized that they would have to finish the job. With that in mind, both teenagers ran even faster, and started running on the walls of the canyon on opposite sides, as they rushed to get to a better position to jump at the Akatsuki member, and sure enough, once they considered that the distance was good, they gave a mighty leap towards their objective.

In the air, Naruto quickly made a clone of himself and with its help, he formed a Rasengan in his hand, ready to use it against the bomber. Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi unsheathed her sword in hopes of skewering the missing-nin.

Deidara was busy examining his new wound and he barely noticed his two attackers when they were almost upon him.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi were flanking Deidara, and they both attacked at the same time. The Akatsuki member jumped to the side of his clay bird, avoiding Naruto's Rasengan, who instead hit the neck of his mount and separated the head from the body. And while in the air, Deidara also barely had time to duck the slash from the blade of the girl, but Kurotsuchi used the momentum of her swing to make a sharp turn of her body and launch a kick that smacked Deidara in the face, harshly sending the artist in a free fall towards the trees below.

Naruto created even more clones as they fell from the sky, and he used the extra manpower to hold the head of the bird which he knew contained Gaara inside of it. Both he and Kurotsuchi managed to land gracefully on top of the trees, unlike Deidara, who hit a tree trunk painfully before plummeting to the ground with a grunt of pain.

Naruto's main concern was to save Gaara, so he stayed behind to dig him up from the clay while Kurotsuchi went to deal with the mad bomber.

Meanwhile, Deidara was trying to get on his feet despite the sharp pain of his missing limb and the kick from earlier. ''Damn it! why is it always the arms?!'' Complained the artist. First, Ohnoki disintegrated one of his arms, he then got it replaced by Kakuzu, only to lose it again against the Ichibi; and now, the copy ninja took his remaining arm. He was just starting to stand up when a big shot of quicklime slammed him to a tree and glued him to it.

A moment later, from the woods came Kurotsuchi with a smug grin. ''Then, I'll take your head for a change, how does that sound? Suiton: Mizurappa! (Water Release: Water trumpet)'' She then expelled a large stream of water from her mouth, normally the technique would have been much larger, but she toned it down since she just wanted to restrain Deidara at the moment; otherwise it would be a shame if she were to kill him with it, She wasn't about to let him die without making the bastard suffer a little.

Once the water stopped coming, Deidara inhaled a large intake of air to catch his breath before he started coughing. After he stopped, he found Kurotsuchi glaring at him. ''Bravo, Kurotsuchi-Chan, you must feel so proud getting into so much trouble catching a cripple and needing help from your Konoha masters on top of it.'' Taunted the mad bomber.

Kurotsuchi gave him a look that promised nothing but pain. ''I changed my mind. Maybe I should cut your tongue instead and force you to eat it.'' Said the tomboy as she took her sword and pointed it directly at Deidara's face, just a few inches away from it.

Deidara just gave her a mocking smirk, not impressed at all by her threat. ''You always thought that you were tougher than you really are.''

''And you were always an ass. Too bad we never realized that until it was too late. Fortunately, today I finally get revenge for all the Iwa lives you took.'' Said the pink-eyed girl, still keeping her sword on the blond's face.

The man responded with a humorless laugh. ''There you go again with your hypocrisy. You berate me for betraying Iwa, but here you are working with Konoha and Suna like an obedient little lapdog.''

''This is different. I don't have a choice but to work with them right now. You did have a choice. I haven't betrayed Iwa and I never will. You, on the other hand, are the biggest traitor in the history of our nation.'' Said the tomboy with an icy look.

Deidara gave her an amused look. ''You say you are not a traitor? I wonder if Ohnoki and Kitsuchi will say the same. What would they and your comrades think if they saw you here teaming up with their worst enemies? What would they think if they saw you being buddies with the Kyuubi?'' Inquired the blond.

''Shut up! you don't know anything.'' Warned the tomboy with a fierce look.

''I may be a traitor, yes. But I have no love left for anyone in Iwa. You on the other hand, still have people there that care about you and you care about them. Your betrayal is way worse than mine for it!'' Continued the terrorist all while he smiled with amusement.

''I said shut up!'' Repeated an increasingly agitated Kurotsuchi.

Deidara ignored her and got a reminiscing look on his face. ''Also I can still remember when you were a little brat, following me around like a lost puppy. Always complaining and crying that your mom was dead and how you wanted all of Konoha to perish for killing her. And here you are, shaking hands with the murderers of you moth- ugh!'' He was interrupted by a strong punch to the face.

''Ahhhh!'' Kurotsuchi kept yelling in anger as she continued to repeatedly hit the traitor in the face. ''Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!'' repeated the girl again and again as she continued her barrage of attacks. She only stopped, when suddenly, someone else's hand held her wrist with a firm grip, keeping her from delivering any more punches.

''That is enough.'' Said the calm voice of Kakashi as he held her arm.

''Why do you stop me, Kakashi?! He is a traitor to my village and deserves everything he has coming to him!'' Said the angry girl, but still, the copy ninja didn't let go.

''I know you are angry, I would be too if I were in your shoes. But he would be of more use to us alive at the moment. He will be a good source of information about Akatsuki and their plans.'' Explained the silver-haired Shinobi in an attempt to calm her down.

''He deserves to suffer for what he has done!'' Insisted the Kunoichi.

''And he will. He will be put into Suna's custody. After kidnapping the Kazekage, his punishment will be severe, maybe even a living hell. You would be doing him a favor if you kill him.'' Reasoned Kakashi, still keeping his cool demeanor.

Kurotsuchi was still shaking in rage, but what the Sharingan user said made sense. After what he did to Suna, they would enjoy tearing Deidara's asshole apart. She glanced one last time at Deidara's bloodied face, who despite his injuries, he still managed to give her a mocking grin. She gave him a death stare, but after much debating, she finally shook away the hold of the copy ninja. ''Fine. We'll take him prisoner and let him to rot in Suna's prison.''

Deidara took the opportunity to keep his tirade going. ''That's right, Kurotsuchi-chan, you better obey your Konoha owners like a-hmph!'' He was interrupted once again, but this time, it was due to Kakashi putting a dirty rag in his mouth.

''If his words are that bothersome we can always gag him.'' Said the Sharingan user as he finished tying the rag to keep the bomber from talking. ''See?''

Kurotsuchi couldn't help herself from grinning maliciously at the angry face of Deidara, who didn't seem to take kindly at being gagged. ''I guess you are right.'' Concluded the tomboy, agreeing with Kakashi.

''Guys!''

Then, the entirety of Team Gai, along with Pakkun, arrived in the same clearing. They all looked worse for wear, but aside from some scratches, they were fine.

''I see you finally caught up, Gai.'' Said Kakashi amicably.

''Sorry for taking so long. That blue guy from the Akatsuki was no pushover, even if it was just a double. And on top of that, I stopped along the way to help my lovely students deal with their struggles.'' Explained Gai.

''Something strange happened; when we took off the seals creating the barrier that blocked the hideout of the Akatsuki, we were confronted by perfect copies of ourselves with all of our abilities.'' Said Neji with a neutral face. But Kurotsuchi could notice, that for some reason, the Hyuga was glancing at her occasionally and giving her a cold glare.

''Our copies were tough to beat, but no surprise since they were us.'' Said Lee with a grin.

''Good thing that Gai-Sensei came when he did, though. We may be still fighting ourselves if he hadn't come to help.'' Added Tenten with a tired sigh.

''It's been a while since I stretched my legs like that.'' Said Pakkun.

''I was wondering where you where, Pakkun.'' Said Kakashi curiously.

''Something came up and I had to extend my help, and being as dutiful as I am, I couldn't refuse.'' Boasted the pug.

''Ah and I see that you managed to capture one of the Akatsuki. As expected of my eternal rival!'' Praised Gai with a thumbs up as he eyed the restrained and angry Deidara.

''Actually, it was Kurotsuchi who captured him.'' Said the copy ninja as he glanced at the Iwa Kunoichi.

Kurotsuchi had refrained from speaking since she was still trying to calm her temper after her previous conversation with Deidara, but she couldn't help but feel self-conscious due to all the surprised stares sent her way.

''Is that so? Impressive young Kurotsuchi! I knew that your flames of youth were burning strong!'' Exclaimed Gai with a smile.

''That's right! You are very skilled indeed, Kurotsuchi-san!'' Lee agreed with his master.

''Good job, girl.'' Added Tenten with a grin and a wink.

Neji stayed silent, and for some reason, Kurotsuchi could swear that his glare was even worse than the usual cold looks he had given her in the past.

''It was nothing really. I had a lot of help, I barely did anything.'' Said the tomboy modestly. Normally, she would take any chance to boast about her skills but she really wasn't in the mood right now with Deidara's words still fresh in her mind.

''Anyway, we should get back and look for the rest of the team. Not to mention that we left Sakura, Yugao, and Chiyo-Baasama to deal with the other Akatsuki.'' Said Kakashi.

''No need for that.'' Yelled Yugao as she arrived in the clearing alongside Sakura, Chiyo, and Naruto who was currently carrying an unconscious Gaara slung over his shoulder.

''How great it's to see everyone is all right!'' Said the loud Gai.

''I can say the same to you. I was really worried when we had to leave you to fight Hoshigaki by your own.'' Said Yugao with relief.

''I have to admit, I had pretty close calls but I managed to emerge victorious in the end!'' Exclaimed Gai.

''I can see that.'' Said the ANBU plainly. Obviously, if Gai hadn't won he wouldn't be here right now. She then turned to look at the younger members of Team Gai. ''And what about you? Why wouldn't you answer my calls?''

''We are sorry, Yugao-San. We ran into a bit of trouble on the way.'' Explained Lee apologetically.

''We'll give you the details later. Right now there are much more pressing matters to attend to.'' Said Neji serenely.

''Neji-Kun is right. like, what happened to the other Akatsuki member that we left you fighting with?'' Asked Kakashi.

''Sasori is dead. We managed to defeat him.'' Said Chiyo solemnly. She hadn't said a word since she arrived, and now that she did, everyone noticed the sad tone in her voice. It was understandable really, fighting your grandson to the death would leave anyone feeling depressed.

''Also, we managed to get some information out of him on Orochimaru just before he died.'' Informed Sakura.

''What?! You managed to find information about that bastard of Orochimaru?! Amazing! Sakura-Chan you are the best!'' Praised Naruto. ''This could be a lead to get to Sasuke!'' Said the blond with enthusiasm.

''Good job, Sakura.'' Said Kakashi with pride. ''We are going to have to discuss that some other time, though. First, we must attend to Gaara.'' Added the cyclops as he turned to look at the redhead that was slung on Naruto's shoulder.

''Sakura-Chan already checked him when she met up with me. She says he will be fine.'' Said Naruto with reassurance.

Said medic decided to elaborate on what Naruto said. ''I healed the injuries he sustained, most likely when he was captured. He is also suffering from severe Chakra exhaustion, but I already gave him a soldier pill to help him with that.'' Not to mention, that him being a Jinchuuriki, he was already regenerating his Chakra at a high rate thanks to his Biju.

Everyone seemed satisfied with the answer and seeing that they had retrieved the Kazekage and captured a member of Akatsuki on top of it, they could consider their mission a success.

''Good job everyone, you all did great.'' Congratulated Kakashi with an eye smile.

''I think it's time for us to get to Suna.'' concluded Yugao.

''Yosh! If that's the case then, Kakashi let's race to see who can get there first!'' challenge the energetic Gai.

''No.'' The copy ninja said simply with a deadpan look, which seemed to disappoint the Taijutsu master.

''Damn you, Kakashi! You and that hip attitude that I can't stand!'' Complained the eccentric man.

Not liking to see his teacher deflated, Rock Lee rose up to the challenge. ''Don't worry, Gai-sensei! I'll take you on your challenge! and if I can't win I'll do a thousand laps around- Ouch!'' before he could continue, he was smacked in the back of his head by Tenten.

''Don't go around inciting him, idiot!'' Berated the weapons user.

''Well, I don't think you have more need for me. so I will be taking my leave.'' Informed Pakkun.

''Of course. Thanks, Pakkun, you were a great aid.'' Said Kakashi with gratitude to his summon.

''You really helped us back there.'' Yugao agreed with the copy ninja.

''You are welcome. Call me anytime.'' Said the pug before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

''Why are we still here? We got the Kazegake, let's go. I'm not getting any younger you know.'' Said Chiyo with impatience.

Kakashi nodded, agreeing with the old woman. ''You heard Chiyo-Baasama, let's get moving.''

At Kakashi's order, everyone complied, and with that they were on their way.

-Somewhere in the Land of Wind-

With their speed, they didn't take long to reach the Land of Wind, and now the only thing that could be seen around them as far as the eye could see was sand. However, since they had long way to go, as they traveled, everyone was taking advantage of the trip to talk among themselves and catch up: Gai, Yugao, and Kakashi were discussing the mission details, Sakura was chatting with Chiyo in an effort to keep the old lady company and try to cheer her up after they were forced to dispose of Sasori; and the rest of team Gai were talking with Naruto who was currently carrying the unconscious Gaara. The only one who wasn't participating in the conversations was Kurotsuchi, who was keeping herself at the back of their group with a frown on her face as she glared at a restrained Deidara, who was currently being carried by Gai with just one arm, and he was passing the time by returning the girl the favor and glaring back at her.

''How long do you guys think it will take for Gaara to wake up?'' Asked Naruto with concern to his friends.

''You heard Sakura, Gaara should be fine as long as he gets plenty of rest.'' Said Neji logically.

''You worry too much Naruto. He is out of danger now, you can rest easy.'' Added Tenten.

''Gaara-Kun is one of the strongest shinobi I know. I'm sure that he will make a full recovery before we know it.'' Said Lee with optimism.

''I guess you are right.'' Said Naruto with resignation. Then, he looked over his shoulder to check on his red head friend, and as he did, he also saw Kurotsuchi at the back of the group, and it was at that moment that he realized that he had barely talked with the tomboy through all the mission, but he was also curious on why the Iwa girl looked so unhappy. ''Guys, do you know what's up with Kurotsuchi? She has been looking pretty down lately.'' Asked the blond, keeping his voice down so the Iwa girl wouldn't hear them, of course.

''What do you mean, Naruto-kun? Is something wrong with Kurotsuchi-San?'' Asked a puzzled Lee as Tenten looked at the tomboy to see what Naruto was talking about.

''It's just that she has been keeping herself away from us lately. Also, she has that scary look on her face.'' Naruto pointed out with concern.

''Beats me. She has been like that since we met up with her again back in The Land of Rivers.'' Said Tenten before she realized something. ''Hey, and now that I remember, why didn't you tell me that the sword I fixed for you was hers? It would have been an interesting topic.'' Asked the weapons user with a sly grin. She was obviously fishing for information on how Naruto met the girl.

''I'm sorry, Tenten. I didn't think it mattered since you didn't know her at the time.'' Said Naruto as he scratched the back of his neck nervously. The last thing he wanted to do was to tell them that he met her when she kidnapped him.

Seeing that Tenten didn't get anything out of her question, Neji decided to try himself by cutting to the chase. ''By the way Naruto, I was curious about how you know someone like her. It doesn't seem like something that just happened by mere chance.'' Asked the Hyuga politely but also with suspicion.

''I didn't want to intrude, Naruto-Kun. but I can't help but be curious too.'' Said Lee sheepishly.

Naruto was starting to sweat due to the pressure. He really didn't want to tell them the full scenario of his first encounter with the girl; it would just make things awkward. ''It's a really long story. I think we should leave that for another day, okay?'' Said Naruto with a shaky grin.

Neji nodded in understanding, not wanting to pry more than he should.

''I understand Naruto-Kun. It's no big deal really.'' Said Lee politely.

''Awww I was really curious. But I guess I can't force you to say anything.'' Said Tenten in disappointment.

''Sorry.'' Said Naruto apologetically.

''However, Naruto I must ask you to be careful around her.'' Warned Neji with a serious face.

''Where did that come from?'' Asked Naruto with surprise. ''You don't have to worry about Kurotsuchi, Neji. I know her and I can assure you that she is nice.''

''Aren't you being a little hard on her?'' Tenten asked her Hyuga comrade. ''I know that she is a foreigner and all, but she seems good.''

''Tenten is right. Kurotsuchi-San doesn't strike me as a bad person.'' Lee gave his opinion.

''Just trust me. Don't let your guard down with her, she is dangerous.'' Insisted the Hyuga with his same neutral expression.

But despite Neji's best efforts, Naruto was already getting angry. ''I don't know why you feel the need to talk about her like that, Neji. But Kurotsuchi is my friend and I know her better than you do. I don't like you making these accusations without motive!'' Said Naruto in indignation.

''The relationship you have with her is your business, Naruto. I'm just asking you, as a friend, to keep my words in mind.'' Finished Neji.

Lee and Tenten didn't know what to say in this awkward situation so they just refrained from speaking.

Now that Neji had killed the mood of the conversation, Naruto decided to see what Kurotsuchi was up to. He wanted to know first-hand what had been bothering the tomboy; and now that he thought about it, he had been so busy trying to save Gaara that he had been neglecting Kurotsuchi and didn't want her to think that he didn't care about her.

''Lee.'' Naruto called to his green-clad friend.

''What is it, Naruto-Kun?'' Asked the curious boy.

''Do you mind carrying Gaara for a bit? There is something I need to do.'' Explained Naruto.

''Of course, Naruto-Kun. It's no problem at all.'' Lee responded cordially before Naruto passed the unconscious Gaara to Lee.

''Thanks, Lee. I'll be right back.'' Said Naruto with gratitude, and he then proceeded to slow down his pace, and once he was at the back of the group, just beside Kurotsuchi, he resumed his normal speed.

''Hey.'' Said Naruto in a friendly manner to the grumpy girl.

''Hey yourself.'' Responded the tomboy as she stared at the road ahead.

''Is something the matter?'' You don't look very cheery today.'' Inquired the blond.

Despite Naruto trying to initiate a conversation with her, she was still not meeting his eyes. ''I'm fine. That asshole just pisses me off, that's all.'' Said the girl as she followed Deidara with her gaze.

The mad bomber was currently being carried by Gai under one arm as if he were a plank of wood, but he ended up being carried backwards, and due to that, he could look at most of the group just fine since Gai was at the very front of the unit along with Kakashi and Yugao. Fortunately, he was still bound and gagged, so at least he wasn't going to be bothering anyone with insults and taunts.

''That's right, you used to know him, didn't you?'' Asked the blond, careful in being delicate in case it was a sensible topic for the girl.

The girl nodded, still keeping her eye on the Akatsuki member. ''We were close once. I used to look up to him, actually.'' Said the girl, and for a moment, Naruto could swear that she got a sad look in her eyes before she went back to glaring at the terrorist.

''I see.'' Was the only thing Naruto could say. He kind of understood how she felt like. After Sasuke left to become Orochimaru's student, he couldn't help but feel somewhat betrayed by the Uchiha; of course, he would never stop trying to get Sasuke back, but that didn't mean that he wasn't sad and angry when the raven-haired boy ditched his friends and the entire village. But Naruto understood that for Kurotsuchi it had to be way worse; even if Sasuke left them, he at least never attacked his own village.

Kurotsuchi continued her tirade. ''I can't believe I've ever...'' She stopped herself from finishing that sentence. She couldn't admit to Naruto that she used to have a crush on the bastard when she was little. For her, it was shameful that she once had feelings for the biggest traitor of her village. Instead, she just shook her head, as it didn't matter anymore. ''...Nevermind. I'm a moron for never realizing how he really was back then.''

''Don't say that. How were you supposed to know that? You were just a kid.'' Naruto tried to reason with her.

''That's no excuse. I spent a lot of time with him and I was still blind to his true nature. And everyone else paid for it.'' The tomboy continued to berate herself.

''You are too hard on yourself, you know that?'' Said Naruto with a concerned frown.

''I should be. If I had been more attentive, I could have warned everyone before he committed mass genocide!'' Said an upset Kurotsuchi, raising her tone of voice.

Naruto knew that it was pointless to try to reason this issue out. So he tried something different, maybe he could just try and distract the girl from the topic. ''It isn't your fault that he is...blond?'' Said the Jinchuuriki lamely with a nervous smile, wondering if this was going to work.

Kurotsuchi was caught off guard by the stupid comment, and for the first time since Naruto came talk to her, she looked him straight in the eyes with a bewildered look. ''What?...'' Said the confused girl. The bizarre comment left her without words.

Now that Kurotsuchi took the bait, Naruto pushed on, with a bit more confidence and his smile got more genuine. ''Yea. I mean, we blonds do have a special charm, didn't you know? People can't help but trust us.'' Boasted the orange-clad Genin.

''You? Charming? You are an idiot, you mean.'' Said Kurotsuchi with an amused smirk.

''Well, I'm pretty unique. I can see how the two might be confused.'' Said Naruto with a smile and squinted eyes.

''Nope, I'm pretty sure you are just an idiot.'' Insisted Kurotsuchi while She gave a small grin at Naruto's stupid remarks.

''A lovable idiot, maybe?'' Inquired the blond.

''Nah.'' Replied the tomboy with an even wider smirk.

Naruto gave her a pout and the girl couldn't help but laugh at his childish reaction. Seeing that his plan to cheer her up seemed to be working, Naruto also smiled and joined in her laughter.

''Okay okay, maybe I'm just an idiot. But I'm still awesome, dattebayo!'' Said the blond with a smirk.

''Whatever you say, Naruto.'' Said the pink-eyed girl with a warm smile. Naruto thought he was so clever, she had already suspected what he had been trying to do but she still played along with him. What could she say? Maybe the idiot did have a certain kind of charm after all. _''Thank you, Naruto.''_ Thought the girl, as she glanced at the Jinchuuriki with a fond look.

However, from the corner of her eye, she noticed Deidara looking at them attentively. She noticed that he wasn't glaring anymore, he was just looking at them with an unreadable expression. She couldn't think about it too much anyway since Naruto resumed talking to her soon after.

''Hey Kurotsuchi, you still haven't told me how you ended up coming along anyway.'' Said the blond in wonder.

''Oh that's right.'' Said the tomboy with a look of realization. ''Well, after you left, I was pretty much just wasting time. But the day after, your Hokage asked to see me and then...'' And so, the girl started explaining her situation to Naruto, and they kept speaking about it through all their trip. And as they talked, Kurotsuchi realized that she really had missed hanging out with her friend.

 **Author's note: I bet you didn't expect me to update so fast did you? I wasn't kidding when I said earlier that I had a part of this chapter already written. Like last time, I hope I got the interactions right. Whenever I have a lot of characters in one scene I get overwhelmed by the huge amount of possible interactions that they could have. But despite that, I had a lot of fun writing it, yes it was hard, but also fun.**

 **I'll try to start writing the next chapter right away, I already got a lot of it in my mind, so I hope it's not too hard. Sadly, I don't think the next one will be up as soon as this one was, but who knows, maybe I end up surprising myself.**

 **Oh, one more thing: Don't be afraid to PM me about any doubt you might have. I always try to answer even if sometimes it takes me a little while.**

 **And as always, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and please review if you have the chance! So until next time!**


	17. Chapter 17: Intermission In The Sand

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.  
The author of the cover image is ****indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 17: Intermission In The Sand

-Sunagakure no Sato-

Sunagakure was a large village in the middle of the dessert. It was surrounded by tall cliffs made of rock that left only a single passage to get in and out. The buildings were made of clay, and the streets were covered in sand. The villagers used long robes to cover the heat from the environment and some even used turbans. But aside from all that, the village was just as busy as any other of the great ninja nations. And right now, there was a large group of people gathering at the sole entrance after someone spotted their Konoha allies coming from the horizon.

As soon as teams Kakashi and Gai entered Sunagakure, they were swarmed by Shinobi and civilians alike, hoping to see their Kazekage safe and sound.

''Is Kazekage-Sama safe!?'' ''Gaara-Sama, are you hurt!?'' ''He is just sleeping, right!?''' Shouted the crowd as they surrounded the group.

Naruto, Sakura, Kurotsuchi, and the younger members from Team Gai felt overwhelmed by their welcome as the people tried to reach out to the unconscious Gaara in Lee's arms. Meanwhile, Kakashi, Gai, Yugao, and Chiyo were calm and collected despite the state of unrest of the people surrounding them.

''Get out of the way, all of you!'' Shouted a man as he came pushing through the crowd, and his order was enough to make his fellow Suna citizens calm themselves. The man was wearing the standard Suna uniform, which was very similar to the one Konoha used, except that the flak jacket was beige and had shoulder pads. The man had almost all his head covered by a turban and only left visible the right side of his face, and the only distinctive features he had were two red markings on his cheek.

Once the man reached Kakashi and company, he didn't waste any time to ask about the situation. ''So, how did it go?'' Inquired the anxious man at the copy ninja.

Once the man appeared, Kurotsuchi noticed Yugao narrowing her eyes in a glare directed towards him. The tomboy could tell that the ANBU was doing an effort to keep herself from acting out. The Iwa Kunoichi raised an eyebrow and wondered what the deal was between Yugao and the Suna ninja.

''The mission was a success, Baki-San. I'll give you the details later as tending to Gaara is more important right now.'' Informed Kakashi. But before the conversation could go on, they were interrupted by someone else.

''Gaara!''

Everyone present turned to look at a young woman rushing towards them in a hurry. She was a blonde girl with four ponytails and teal-colored eyes. She was wearing a black kimono with short sleeves and had a giant metal fan strapped to her back.

''How is Gaara!? Is my little brother safe?!'' The worried woman urged to know.

''You have nothing to worry about, Temari-San. Gaara is safe.'' Affirmed Kakashi calmly.

Lee decided to reassure the girl and stepped towards her with Gaara still in his arms to let the worried blonde examine her youngest sibling.

Both Temari and Baki gave a sigh of relief when they noted that Gaara was just unconscious and very much alive.

''Thank goodness.'' Muttered Temari in relief as she gripped Gaara's shoulder tightly.

''Temari, please take Gaara-Sama to the hospital. He seems unharmed but we can't take any chances.'' Said the turban-wearing Jounin.

Temari nodded in understanding, and gently took Gaara from Lee's arms.

''I'll go with Temari. I'm the one who treated Gaara first, they might ask for my diagnosis at the hospital.'' Said Sakura.

''Good thinking.'' Kakashi agreed with his female student.

''Thanks, Sakura.'' Said Temari with a small smile before both girls rushed towards Suna's main hospital.

As they all watched Temari and Sakura go, Kakashi decided to add another thing. ''Also we have something else.'' Said the copy ninja as he stepped aside to let Gai come forward.

The self-proclaimed green beast of Konoha came over to Baki with a serious face as he carried the still bound Deidara. ''We managed to apprehend the one responsible for the Kazekage's capture.'' Said Gai as he presented the mad bomber, and with one arm extended, he held the blond man by his cloak.

Deidara looked insulted and outraged at being handled in such an indelicate manner and he started twisting in rage.

Baki narrowed his eyes at the seized terrorist and swiftly turned to some ANBU among the crowd. ''You there! Put this scum in a cell and leave him there to rot. Once Gaara-Sama has woken up, we'll let him decide the fate of this trash.'' Said Baki with contempt.

The ANBU nodded and snatched Deidara from Gai, and went away with the bomber squirming all the way.

Once that was done, Baki regarded Kakashi and his team once more. ''Our words can't express our gratitude, Kakashi-San. Suna will be forever in your debt.'' Said Baki with cordiality.

''No need for that, we are glad to help our allies in need.'' Said Kakashi.

''That's right! There is no way we would let such unyouthful actions go unpunished!'' Declared Gai with a raised fist and a gleaming smile.

''Gaara is my friend! I would gladly help him again in a heartbeat if need be!'' Replied Naruto with resolution, which made his young friends from team Gai nod in agreement.

''Happy to hear it.'' Said Baki with a grateful smile to his allies for their helpful disposition. But upon noticing Kurotsuchi, his face became one of perplexity. ''I don't mean to be rude, but why is there an Iwa Kunoichi accompanying you?'' Asked the man as he continued to stare at the girl.

Kurotsuchi crossed her arms in irritation. Everyone kept asking the same thing and it was getting old.

''They can tell you later. We are done with the mission, and frankly, I would like nothing more than to get a well-deserved rest for these old bones.'' Interrupted Chiyo with an impatient frown. She was still not in a good mood from her fight with Sasori and she would rather go already to relax or find a way to clear her mind.

''O-of course, Chiyo-Baasama.'' Said Baki with utmost respect to the elder.

After they saw Chiyo leave the group, Baki turned again to the team. ''I think Chiyo-Baasama has the right idea. Why don't you guys stay for a little while? At least until tomorrow to let you guys catch your breath. It's the least we could do to show our appreciation.'' Suggested Baki amicably.

Gai gave a reassuring smile before he politely attempted to turn down the offer. ''Thanks for the gesture, it is very much appreciated. But I think we should be..''

''Actually, that sounds like a really good idea. Thank you, Baki-San. I hope it's not a bother.'' Kakashi interrupted Gai, which earned him more than a few odd looks and raised eyebrows from his group. Except for Yugao, who looked openly displeased at Kakashi's acceptance.

''It won't be a problem at all. We'll send a message to the Hokage, informing her of the situation to put her worries at ease. Besides, I think that Gaara-Sama will want to thank you in person if he manages to wake up before you go. Please, come this way.'' Said Baki before turning around and started walking towards the Kazekage Tower with Teams Kakashi and Gai right behind him. The tower was easy to distinguish from the rest since the top was round with the Kanji for 'Wind' carved at the front of said orb.

As they walked, Naruto noticed that Kurotsuchi seemed anxious, so he closed the distance between them to see what was worrying her. ''Hey Kurotsuchi, what's up?'' Asked Naruto cheerfully.

''I'm just really uncomfortable walking around Suna.'' Said the girl as she glanced around her warily.

''What's wrong with being in Suna?'' Asked an oblivious Naruto.

''Don't you know? Suna hates Iwa just as much as Konoha does, that's what up.'' Replied the tomboy, a little more brusquely than she intended.

Naruto widened his eyes in realization before he tried to make the girl stop worrying so much. ''I didn't know. But don't you worry, Gaara is the Kazekage and he would not let anything happen to you, and I wouldn't let them do anything either!'' Declared the blond.

''Naruto-Kun speaks the truth! Gaara-San would never allow any harm to befall his allies!'' Added Lee with confidence. He knew that Gaara was a far cry from the unstable individual he had been when he was younger. And even if he wasn't that familiar with the red head, he had full confidence that they could depend on him.

''Not to mention, that you just helped rescue him. I doubt that he will forget about it.'' Said Tenten. She briefly considered asking Neji to say his opinion on the matter but she refrained from it; the Hyuga had been acting colder than usual when Kurotsuchi was involved, so she guessed that it was for the best to keep him from giving input when the Iwa Kunoichi was concerned.

Kurotsuchi sighed in resignation. ''You guys are probably right. Still, I don't know why we have to stay for a day, maybe even more.'' Complained the pink-eyed girl.

''Beats me. I'm glad that I can have a chance to talk to Gaara but I didn't expect Kakashi-Sensei to agree to stay.'' Said Naruto. Usually, whenever they completed a mission, they went on their way as soon as they could.

As the teenagers talked among themselves, the adult members of the group were also conversing.

''Kakashi, I don't really have a problem with accepting Suna's hospitality, but I thought that you would have agreed that reporting our progress to the Hokage as soon as possible would be the best thing to do.'' Said Gai to the cyclops, with unusual seriousness.

''I agree with Gai. This is unlike you, Kakashi-Senpai.'' Said Yugao, obviously unhappy at the turn of events. She didn't have a problem being in Suna per se, but she couldn't stand being around Baki. After her boyfriend, Hayate, had been assassinated during the Oto-Suna invasion, she did some digging, and she found out that Hayate had been tailing Baki, as he had suspected something was off. Shortly after, he had been found dead with deep cuts on his torso as the cause of death, likely made by a wind Jutsu. When Yugao found out that Baki could use a wind sword, it was pretty obvious what had happened. They might be allies now, but she would never forgive Baki for taking away her lover.

Kakashi looked at both of them with an apologetic look in his lone visible eye. ''I'm sorry guys. I didn't mention it earlier, but I'm not feeling too good right now.'' Replied the copy ninja, and now that both Gai and Yugao paid close attention to Kakashi, they noticed that he was sweating more than he should have, and had a worn look in his eye. ''The Jutsu I used earlier to incapacitate the Akatsuki drains my Chakra tremendously. I was trying to keep up appearances for the sake of the mission but I had a lot of trouble just getting here to Suna. Had we gone back to Konoha immediately, I would not have lasted the trip and would just have ended up becoming a burden for everyone. I really do need the rest.'' Admitted Kakashi, now finally letting his fatigue show, and they could hear the exhaustion in his voice. He thankfully never had to use Kamui more than once in the mission, if he had, he would probably have ended up incapacitated for weeks due to extreme Chakra exhaustion.

Now, both Gai and Yugao looked at the Sharingan user in understanding.

''You should have told us earlier, you could have ended up pushing your body beyond its limits. Don't go around taking such risks.'' Yugao reprimanded the copy ninja.

''You are always trying to look cool in front of everyone else. Some of these days you'll end up really hurting yourself for real.'' Said Gai.

''I'm really sorry. I thought I could handle it.'' Responded Kakashi as he scratched the back of his head apologetically, as they all continued their walk.

Before long, they all reached the Kazekage Tower and were currently entering the office of Suna's leader.

As they all went in, Kurotsuchi took note of the look of the place, as she had never expected to be there in her life. The place wasn't that spacious, about the same size as the Hokage's office. There were round windows all around the office and the Kazekage's desk was all the way to the front of the room, and beside it was a potted plant. The desk had all kinds of books, scrolls, and documents on top of it, along with a small pot with a cactus. Kurotsuchi noted that everything on the desk seemed to be carefully organized, unlike Tsunade's office.

As they all walked to the center of the room, Baki proceeded to close the door behind them.

''I'm glad that you took my invitation to stay as I'd really like to show our gratitude for what you did.'' Said Baki, as he went behind the Kazekage's desk but he didn't sit on the chair. He was just covering for Gaara while he was away and didn't feel comfortable taking the seat as if he was the Kazekage.

''I thought that we could all use a little rest. The mission was a bit rough, to say the least.'' Said Kakashi nonchalantly.

''I can only imagine.'' Replied the Suna Jounin. ''I'll check some of our finest hotels. I can personally go and find you some place to stay for the night.''

''That won't be necessary.'' Interrupted a young man that suddenly entered the office. He was wearing an all-black baggy bodysuit with a matching black hood that had cat-like ears which covered his hair completely. The young man was also wearing purple face paint and had three scrolls strapped to his back. ''They can stay here in the Kazekage Tower. We have lots of space and enough guest rooms. I'm sure that Temari and Gaara will be fine with it.''

''Hey, if it isn't Kankuro-San, long time no see!'' Said Lee with a smile, glad to see the puppeteer again.

''Hey there.'' Said Kankuro with a small grin of his own.

''Kankuro, shouldn't you still be resting?'' Asked Baki with concern.

''I'm feeling better already, and I wanted to come and thank Naruto and the rest for saving Gaara.'' Explained the painted man.

''I see. So you already saw Gaara?'' Inquired the turban-wearing Shinobi.

''I did. I was getting discharged from the hospital when Temari and Sakura arrived with him. I stayed a little bit to ensure that everything was Okay. In fact, Gaara didn't take long to wake up after that. Last I saw him, he was being prohibited by the nurses to leave the hospital. I suspect that they won't be able to keep him down for long.'' Said Kankuro with an amused grin. He knew that Gaara could be stubborn sometimes. He would no doubt try to be up as soon as he could to get back to work, and thank Naruto and company while at it.

''So Gaara already woke up?!'' Asked an eager Naruto.

''Yea. He should come here soon. I'm sure that he will want to properly thank all of you for your help.'' Said Kankuro. ''And speaking of which, I'm glad to see that you improved in your years of training, Naruto. You may not be much of a runt anymore after all.'' Teased Kankuro good-naturedly.

''Of course, I have! We all have! Everyone did their absolute best.'' Boasted Naruto with pride.

''I know and I'm happy to see all of you again.'' Replied Kankuro with a smile as he also looked at Team Gai. However, his smile disappeared and a look of surprise took its place once he spotted Kurotsuchi among them. ''I don't think I've met you before.'' Said Kankuro as he regarded the tomboy.

''No, you haven't'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly, but she noticed that she was coming off as rude and that would not go well while she was there, especially under Konoha's supervision. So she decided to properly introduce herself. ''I'm Kurotsuchi, happy to make your acquittance.'' Said the girl out of obligation.

''Same here.'' Replied Kankuro, still not sure what to make of the girl's presence. ''I didn't know that Konoha and Iwa relationships had improved.'' Added the puppeteer.

''It's unfortunate and sad to say, but they haven't. A series of unusual circumstances are responsible for young Kurotsuchi's presence here, which is out of the norm. But I can attest that she is a good kid.'' Assured Gai with a thumbs up.

Neji snorted incredulously at his sensei's declaration, which earned him a glare from Tenten, warning him from starting a scene.

''O-kay...'' Said Kankuro. Team Gai's contradictory reactions did little to relieve his doubts.

''I hope that Kurotsuchi accompanying us is not a problem?'' Asked Kakashi serenely.

Kankuro didn't know what to say. Since Gai's team didn't exactly give him a sure answer, he turned to someone he knew he could trust. ''Naruto, do you vouch for her?'' Asked Kankuro.

Naruto looked at Kankuro with a wide grin. ''Of course, she can be trusted, she is my friend! In fact, if it wasn't for her help we might not have been able to get to Gaara in time.'' Declared the blond.

Kankuro stared at the blond for a moment longer before he broke a grin. If the guy that managed to turn Gaara from a homicidal maniac to a responsible, caring leader and sibling, then in Kankuro's opinion there was nothing to worry about. In his book, there was no better judge of character than Naruto. ''Then I have no complaints. She can stay.''

Kurotsuchi felt like she could count her blessings. It seemed that every single person they came across that was even marginally important held Naruto in high esteem.

''Then it's settled.'' Said Baki as he clasped his hands behind his back. ''I'll show you to your rooms for the day. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to let us know.''

''Actually, I have a request.'' Said Kurotsuchi, which caught everyone's attention.

Everyone could only stare at the Iwa Kunoichi with puzzled expressions, which made Kurotsuchi start to feel uncomfortable once again, but at this point, that ought to be her default mood.

''What is it that you want, then?'' Asked Baki with a raised eyebrow.

Kurotsuchi did her best to ignore everyone's gaze and proceeded with her request. ''I can understand if you can't comply, but there is someone I wanted to talk to.''

-Suna's T&I Cells-

Deidara was laying on a bed in his, cell looking at the ceiling. He didn't have his Akatsuki cloak anymore which left him with his Gray shirt. And his arms were now little more than bandaged stumps of flesh. He had nothing more to do but wait until he was given his sentence, which no doubt wouldn't be pretty. So all in all, things weren't going his way, to say the least.

The mad bomber felt someone approaching his cell, so he turned his head to the side to see an ANBU standing at the other side of the bars of his door.

''Get up, scum. Someone is here to see you.'' Said the ANBU before stepping aside to let Kurotsuchi walk up to the door. ''I'll be in the other room should you need me.'' Said the ANBU to Kurotsuchi before leaving her with the Akatsuki member.

Deidara's blank face turned into one of amusement when he saw the pink-eyed girl. ''Ahh, Kurotsuchi-Chan. What an honor to see you taking your time to visit little old me. Did your Konoha and Suna masters reward you like the good dog you are?'' Said the blond mockingly.

However, unlike last time, Kurotsuchi remained calm in the face of his insults. ''I'm not falling for your taunts anymore, Deidara-nii. And this might be the last decent conversation you'll ever get to have in what remains of your life, so I suggest you to not let it go to waste.'' Said the girl with a glare.

Deidara's snide grin was erased from his face; she did have a point. And besides, tormenting her wasn't as fun if she was going to remain cool. ''Fine, what do you want? Why did you even come here anyway?'' Asked the man.

Kurotsuchi wasn't even sure of that herself. Deidara used to be a huge influence on her life when she was little and she supposed that this was the perfect time to say farewell to the bastard and close that chapter of her life once and for all. ''I guess I wanted to see if you had something to say since you'll probably die soon.''

''If I'm lucky, un.'' Added Deidara plainly.

''If you're lucky.'' Repeated Kurotsuchi. At least Deidara understood just how deep was the trouble he was in. Even he realized that a swift execution was the best he could hope for. ''You know, for an asshole that is about to be torn apart piece by piece, you sure don't seem all that bothered by it.'' Noted the girl.

Deidara just shrugged at the girl's observation. ''I always knew I was going to end up dead since the day I left Iwa. My only regret is not dying in a glorious and flashy manner, un.'' Preferably in a huge explosion that could be seen for miles around as he took his enemies with him, but one couldn't have everything in life he supposed.

 _''Well at least he still got some Iwa pride in him after all.''_ Thought the tomboy. Most Iwa Shinobi didn't fear death in itself, what they feared was dying without honor, without a cause, or purpose. So it wasn't that surprising really that Deidara had come to terms with his eventual demise. ''Why did you leave us, then? If you knew you were going to end up this miserable I can't understand your motives.'' Asked the girl solemnly.

Deidara snorted at the girl's question. ''What is it with that question? Is this supposed to be the part when I'm at the end of my rope and I finally realize all my past wrong doings and regret my betrayal and all that shit? Sorry to burst your bubble, Kurotsuchi-Chan; but if that's what you want from me, you'll be seriously disappointed, un'' Remarked the terrorist.

The tomboy frowned at the crazy blond. ''That's not it at all. I'm genuinely curious. At one point you were even being considered as gramp's successor. I don't see how could you even think of betraying us despite having the possibility of being the next Tsuchikage.'' Said the girl in distaste.

Deidara rolled his eyes at that. ''Bah! I never once cared for the position of Tsuchikage. All I ever wanted was to show the world my art. And the best way to do that was just within my reach: The village's secret Kinjutsu. I only needed that to become the greatest artist the world had ever seen! If I had to break the law and make the whole village my enemy, then so be it. I would have destroyed anything that got in the way of me and my art, be it Iwa or any other village!'' Said the agitated man, almost in a yell.

Kurotsuchi could only look at him in disgust. She didn't know why she had even bothered to ask him. Like if a deranged maniac like him could have had any deeper motives. ''So much good that did you. Just look at your pathetic state, Deidara-nii. I can only pity you.'' He went through so much trouble just to torment the world with his clay figures and now he didn't even have any arms to use them. ''You threw your whole life away for a Kinjutsu that you can't even use anymore. Tell me, Deidara-nii, was it worth it?'' Asked the girl judgmentally.

Deidara was already fuming at the remainder of his failure. ''At least I'll die and that's it, I will be out of my misery. Meanwhile, you keep being Konoha's bitch. I find that to be a more sad existence than my own, un.'' the bomber shot back.

''And you aren't someone else's bitch?'' Replied Kurotsuchi with a mocking expression. ''You do the Akatsuki's bidding when it's clear that they don't give a shit about you. They are the reason you are in this mess in the first place. But what can you expect to happen when they send you to capture Jinchuuriki with only two men?''

''What? Are you angry that we are hunting your boyfriend?'' Said Deidara in an attempt to make her angry. ''You know, I was just joking before when I said back there in the Land of Rivers that you were the Kyuubi's buddy. I was just trying to rile you up, but to actually see that I was right it's just priceless! when is the wedding? Are you having little demon babies with the moron?!''

Now it was Kurotsuchi's turn to roll her eyes at the remarks. ''You really are an idiot. You got it all wrong, dipshit. It's true that I get along with Naruto, but that's about it. So you can take your brilliant deductions and shove them up your ass.''

''Oh, so it's 'Naruto' now? How cute, you are already calling each other by first names!'' Said the mad bomber with a derisive smirk. Kurotsuchi could deny it all she wanted, even to herself, but he saw how she looked at the idiot and he knew that she was starting to feel something for the Jinchuuriki. Deidara wasn't stupid, he knew all too well that the kind of face that she looked at the Kyuubi with was very similar to the one she used to give him when she was little. He always knew of the crush she used to have on him long ago, it was pretty difficult not to notice it actually when she kept herself plastered to him all the time that he had had barely room to breath sometimes.

''Now you are just rambling like the lunatic you are.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a sigh. This had been such a waste of time. ''Farewell, Deidara-nii. I hope you enjoy your stay in Suna. you twisted son of a bitch.'' Said the girl as she turned to leave.

However, Deidara continued his tirade. ''Me? Twisted? Funny coming from you, Kurotsuchi-Chan. I would have thought that you would have wanted the Kyuubi dead, considering who he is and all. I guess you are just as twisted as me.'' Said the mad bomber. The idea of someone falling in love with the son of their mother's killer was fucked up, even for someone like Deidara.

Kurotsuchi stopped momentarily to look back at Deidara after that statement. ''What do you mean by that?'' Asked the tomboy.

''You know what I mean by that.'' Said Deidara, still keeping his sly smirk as he looked at Kurotsuchi. However, the Iwa Kunoichi just kept looking at him with a blank expression and a raised eyebrow in wonder. Deidara's grin banished and his expression mirrored Kurotsuchi's puzzled look. Her reaction wasn't what he had been expecting. If he didn't know any better he would even say that she didn't know who was the father of the blond Jinchuuriki...Oh, no way! She really didn't know!

Kurotsuchi became more and more confused once Deidara started to laugh. He started with a low snicker until he eventually was full on shrieking with laughter. ''What's so funny, dumbass?!'' The girl demanded to know.

Deidara just ignored her as he continued to laugh mindlessly. This was just golden! The little idiot was developing feelings for the yellow flash's son and she didn't even know it! This was too good! After a couple of minutes, Deidara finally calmed himself enough to start talking again. ''You don't know who he is, don't you?'' Asked the mad bomber with a derogatory grin.

Kurotsuchi frowned at Deidara's weird behavior. ''He is the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. What else would I need to know?''

Deidara's smirk got even wider. ''So, Ohnoki never told you the real reason he sent you to capture him in the first place? And I'm not talking about him being a Jinchuuriki, he had stronger incentives.''

Kurotsuchi didn't know what to think about that. Better reasons to capture Naruto than him being a Jinchuuriki? She doubted that. ''Now you are just talking nonsense. There is literally nothing remarkable about Naruto aside from him being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki.''

''Well, I'll have you know that the moron is actually the...'' Deidara stopped himself before he could finish. Now that he thought about it, it would be better to let the stupid girl realize it by herself. If she continued getting closer to the Kyuubi, it would only devastate her even more when she eventually learned the truth about the Jinchuuriki. And she would have to learn it at one point, those kinds of secrets never stayed buried. ''You know what? Never mind, forget I said anything.'' Replied the bomber with a sadistic grin.

''You were about to say something. What was it?'' Insisted the tomboy with narrowed eyes.

''You'll find out soon enough.'' Said Deidara with finality.

Kurotsuchi stared at Deidara silently for a moment, until she realized that the Akatsuki member wasn't going to elaborate. _''As I thought. He is just rambling like a madman. He knows nothing.''_ Concluded the girl with an annoyed huff. ''See ya, Deidara-nii. And good riddance.'' Finished Kurotsuchi as she finally left the room with a still grinning Deidara in it.

 _''well that was unpleasant. At least I won't ever see his aggravating face again.''_ Thought Kurotsuchi as she entered the other room where a Suna ANBU was already expecting her.

''You done?'' Asked the man.

''Yea. I have nothing more to say to that asshole.'' Responded the pink-eyed girl.

The ANBU nodded in understanding. ''Good. Someone is already waiting for you outside to escort you back.''

''Fine, lead the way.'' Answered Kurotsuchi as she started following the ANBU. Even if she had been accepted to join Naruto and company in their stay in Suna, since she was a foreigner- And from an enemy nation at that- She had to be kept under watch at all times, if only for everyone else's peace of mind. And that included being escorted everywhere by someone, preferably by one of her group.

-Sunagakure's streets-

Once the ANBU took Kurotsuchi outside the building, the girl was surprised to see Neji leaned on a wall waiting for her. She would have guessed that if anyone was going to be escorting her back to the Kazekage tower, it would have been either Yugao or Naruto, Heck maybe even Kakashi or Gai, but not the guy that liked her the least from the bunch.

''Hyuga, what are you doing here?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with skepticism.

''I was waiting for you to take you back, obviously.'' Responded Neji in a matter-of-fact way as he crossed his arms.

''I know that, smartass. I mean, why you?'' Said the girl with a harsh look.

''Does it matter? I was asked to come for you and here I am, so get a move on already.'' Responded Neji with impatience.

Kurotsuchi glared at the Hyuga for his condescending attitude, but she complied nonetheless. ''Fine. let's get going.'' Even if she didn't enjoy Neji's company, there was nothing to be done about it, and the sooner this was over the better.

And with all that said, both teenagers went on their way, with Neji leading the way as Kurotsuchi followed.

As they walked, Kurotsuchi noticed that they were getting plenty of attention from the civilians around them, as was expected, but by now, Kurotsuchi was so used to getting those kinds of stares in Konoha that she did not pay them much mind here.

Instead, the tomboy's thoughts kept drifting back to the conversation she had with Deidara. She had a feeling that whatever the mad bomber was about to say regarding Naruto, was something big and significant. She would like to think that he was just trying to screw with her, but she couldn't help but have a nagging suspicion that he really refrained from telling her something important. But even if Deidara was right and there was something else about Naruto, then what could it be? Something more important than him being the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and the real reason for the mission assigned to her and her team? It just seemed extremely unlikely. She couldn't think of anything about Naruto that would even remotely make him a high priority target if it wasn't for his Biju. The more she thought about it, the more it seemed like Deidara was just trying to get under her skin, and in a sense, he did succeed. _''So much for not letting myself fall for the bastard's taunts.''_ the girl berated herself mentally.

When Neji suddenly came to a stop, Kurotsuchi noticed that they somehow ended up in an alleyway. She couldn't see anyone else close by besides the two of them. She had been so engrossed in her own thoughts that she hadn't been paying attention to where they were going.

Kurotsuchi glared at the back of the Hyuga in front of her, and her body tensed in preparation for a battle. ''What's wrong, Hyuga? Did you get lost on the way?'' She wouldn't put it past him to get her somewhere isolated from everyone else, just so he could get rid of her.

''You don't have to worry about a sneak attack, Iwa.'' Said Neji before he turned to face her with a cold look in his white eyes. ''I didn't bring you here to fight. I just thought that it was a good opportunity to get some things straight with you.''

''To get things straight with me? Oh, I wonder what could be so important that you needed to bring me here all by myself.'' Replied Kurotsuchi with suspicion, and still kept her guard up. She didn't trust the Hyuga. He had despised her since they met and for some reason his hatred towards her seemed to only have been getting stronger lately.

Neji's look got even harsher at her attitude. ''This goes without saying, but I don't like you. And somehow, you managed to get everyone else on the team to at least not see you as a threat for the time being.'' And some of the most trusting of them, like Naruto and Lee, considered her a comrade.

''And what is this all about then exactly, uh? Are you throwing a fit just because some of your friends like me? Are you annoyed that they might like me better than you or something? Well, with that stuck up attitude of yours I can't blame them.'' Kurotsuchi shot back.

''The problem is that they don't realize that you are a threat to us and to the village. But you can't fool me, my eyes don't miss anything.'' Said Neji with a glare.

''Maybe because they are not a bunch of paranoid fucks like you are? I have never done anything to endanger any of you since I was put under Konoha's custody.'' Said Kurotsuchi with exasperation.

Neji narrowed his eyes at her as if he was insulted by her statement. ''Don't play dumb with me. I know what you almost did back in the Land of Rivers.''

''What are you even talking abo...'' Kurotsuchi didn't finish her sentence as she widened her eyes in panic. She now realized what the Hyuga was referring to. _''Oh crap, he knows!''_

Neji smiled victoriously at her reaction, seeing her realize that she screwed up was so satisfying. ''That's right. Back then, when we were on the mission, I wasn't just paying attention to the tags keeping the barrier sealed, I was also keeping an eye on you in case you tried anything sneaky. I saw how you were about to attack Yugao-San from the back while she had her guard down.'' Accused Neji with a dangerously low and cold tone of voice.

Damn it! Kurotsuchi didn't consider that the Hyuga was going to be watching her with that Byakugan of his while she was debating on her escape. But despite being caught, she tried to feign ignorance. She quickly put on a neutral expression, trying to mask her previous surprise. ''I don't know what you are talking about. You must be imagining things, Hyuga.'' Said Kurotsuchi with as much confidence as she could muster.

''There is no use in denying it now, you already gave yourself away with your previous reaction.'' Said Neji.

''If you are so sure of what you saw, why didn't you say anything to the others, then?'' Asked the defiant girl.

''Back then, I was about to do it before you made your move, but for some reason, you never went trough with your actions, you probably realized the futility of it. But the point is, that you never did anything, and saying something that would make us fight among ourselves would have jeopardized the mission.'' Neji knew that without proof of the girl's attempt on the life of her ANBU guard, it would just become a matter of his word against hers. And in that situation, Naruto would back her up no doubt, and as sad as it was to admit it, the blond was much more persuasive than Neji was. It would just create a conflict that would go nowhere. Neji liked Naruto, he was one of his best friends; the blond was the one responsible for freeing Neji from his grudge against his own clan. But damn if Naruto didn't make things difficult sometimes.

''So you are not gonna do anything? I find that hard to believe.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a harsh look.

''I never said that. Now that I know for certain that you are dangerous to us, I'll be keeping a very close eye on you. You interact daily with some of my friends, Naruto especially. If I ever see you do anything to them or if you give me even just one reason to make me think that you would harm them in any way, I will personally end you, consequences be damned.'' Warned Neji with a serious face.

''Oh, I'm so scared.'' Said Kurotsuchi with sarcasm.

''You should be.'' Replied Neji, activating his Byakugan for emphasis.

After that, both teenagers stayed silent as they glared at each other spitefully. That continued that for a few minutes until Neji broke the silence.

''That's all I had to say. I suggest we go back, for real this time. Everyone is going to start wondering where we are.'' Suggested the Hyuga with his eyes still staring at the girl.

''You first.'' Said Kurotsuchi. She wasn't about to turn her back to the Hyuga anytime soon.

''hmph, as you wish.'' Replied Neji. And after shooting her one last glare, he walked out of the alleyway and back into Suna's streets with Kurotsuchi behind him, but this time, she was keeping more of a distance between them.

-Kazekage Tower-

Naruto was bored out of his mind. Team Gai had left earlier; Tenten opted for going shopping around Suna, Gai and Lee wanted to use this opportunity to try training under harsher climatic conditions so they too left to find a good training spot at the outskirts of the village, and gods knew what Neji and Kakashi were up to. And Sakura had yet to arrive from the Suna main hospital. So that left Naruto waiting alone at one of the guest rooms that was assigned to the members of his group. The only reason he didn't also leave the place was because he had been expecting Gaara to arrive soon and he was very eager to see his fellow Jinchuuriki.

A knock on the door caught the blond's attention, and shortly after, the door opened to show Sakura peeking through it.

''Naruto, are you here?'' Asked the pinkette as she entered the room and spotted the Jinchuuriki sitting on a couch.

''Sakura-Chan, you are back!'' Said Naruto as he stood up from the couch. ''How is Gaara?! Is he here?''

''He is fine. I, along with other nurses, determined that he just needs some rest. We would have wanted him to remain in the hospital for a little while just to make sure he recovered properly but he just wouldn't accept.'' Said the medic with a sigh. ''And yes, he is here. He went to talk to Baki-San.'' Finished the pink-haired girl just as Naruto rushed past her.

''Thank you for letting me know, Sakura-Chan!'' Shouted Naruto as he left and disappeared in the corridor.

Sakura was just left there staring at where Naruto ran off to. She had meant to ask him where everyone was and what room she would be staying in. She had already been informed that her group had taken Suna's hospitality and would be staying the night but she refrained from asking any more details. _''Damn it, Naruto! He didn't even give me a chance to ask him anything!''_ Thought the frustrated Sakura.

Naruto rapidly traversed the corridors, turning corner after corner until he was almost at the Kazekage's office, and sure enough, he arrived just in time to catch Gaara exiting the office along with Kankuro and Temari. ''Gaara!'' Said Naruto with excitement when he saw the Kazekage and his two siblings.

At Naruto's call, Gaara turned around in surprise at the sudden yell, but he quickly put on a content smile when he saw his blond friend.

''Naruto, I was just about to go see you.'' Said the red-haired boy with cordiality just as Naruto stopped in front of him.

''He wanted to thank you guys as soon as possible. He ignored all the attempts from the doctors to keep him in bed.'' Said Temari with an amused grin.

''Told ya you weren't gonna be able to keep him from coming home as soon as he woke up.'' Replied Kankuro. Even if it was difficult to notice, Kankuro could tell that Gaara was very happy to have the Konoha teams here, especially Naruto.

''We were so worried when we found you unconscious with those Akatsuki bastards!'' Said Naruto. ''Are you alright? Are you feeling fine?'' Inquired the worried blond.

Gaara nodded, trying to calm his friend. ''I'll be fine. I feel very tired still, but the doctors say that I just need to take it easy for a few days.''

With that information in mind, this time, Naruto took notice of the red head's appearance. Gaara's skin was paler than usual, and he could swear that the black rings around his eyes looked more defined than normal, probably as a testament to Gaara's exhaustion.

''Are you sure? You don't look so good.'' Asked Naruto in doubt.

''I'm fine, really. I feel better than I look. Don't worry about it.'' Responded the Kazekage. He would have surely died if it wasn't for Naruto and his friends, and judging by what he heard, he had come really close to it; so all things considered he was as fine as he could be.

''If you say so.'' Said Naruto, deciding to drop the issue.

''Anyway, Gaara, you should take a couple of days off.'' Said Kankuro. ''Me, Temari, and Baki can do your duties while you properly recover.

''I agree with Kankuro.'' Said Temari. ''It is no problem for us.''

''I appreciate it.'' replied Gaara with a grateful smile. Normally, he would not neglect his job for anything, but he really felt awfully tired as much as he tried to mask it. Not to mention, that he wanted to have some time to talk to Naruto.

''Well, we have work to do. So we'll leave you two to catch up.'' Said Temari cheerfully. ''Come, Kankuro.''

''See ya guys later.'' Replied the puppeteer, and together with his sister, he went back into the Kazekage's office, leaving the two Jinchuuriki by themselves.

Naruto and Gaara stood facing each other for a moment, unsure of what to say.

''It's been such a long time since we had a moment to talk like this.'' Naruto broke the silence as he put his hands behind his head casually.

''It has. I haven't seen you since before you went on your training trip.'' Responded Gaara.

''I know. Ero-Sennin really takes his time with his training.'' Stated the blond.

''Maybe, but you must have improved greatly for it. To be sent in missions against the Akatsuki is proof of that.'' Praised Gaara.

''hehe, I sure have! My training was pretty tough.'' Boasted Naruto with squinted eyes and a smile. ''But I can't deny that I'm a bit envious. You became Kazekage while I was away! That's awesome! But just wait, I'll become Hokage myself before you know it!''

''I don't doubt it.'' Said Gaara encouragingly.

Naruto smiled brightly at hearing that Gaara believed in him. Normally, most people just laughed when he told them he was going to become Hokage.

''Naruto, why don't you accompany me to the roof? I would like some fresh air. You can tell me about your training trip on the way.'' Suggested the red head. Not to mention that they would have more privacy there.

''Of course, Gaara. I have a lot of things to talk about!'' Replied the excited Genin.

As they walked towards their destination, Gaara heard attentively the stories that his fellow Jinchuuriki had to tell him, glad to finally spend some time with the person he considered his best friend.

When Kurotsuchi finally arrived at her room in the Kazekage tower, she practically threw herself at the sofa with a tired sigh. _'' what a day this has been.''_ Thought the tomboy as she laid there looking at the ceiling. She wasn't physically tired, but mentally she was pretty stressed. Her conversation with Deidara had already been stressful enough, and after that, her confrontation with Neji didn't help either and that only served to make the walk back even more awkward in the company of the Hyuga.

There was a knock on the door, and for a moment, Kurotsuchi hoped that Naruto had come to hang out. It would have been a decent way to pass the time she supposed.

That was not to be, however, since, after a moment, Kakashi came in instead.

''Hi there.'' Said the Sharingan user amicably.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at the man, wondering what he was doing there. This wasn't the room assigned to the copy ninja.

''Hatake? What are you doing here?'' Questioned the Iwa Kunoichi.

Kakashi shrugged casually in response. ''Yugao asked me to keep you company. She said that she had things to do.'' That was basically a polite way of saying that he was going to be keeping an eye on her while the purple-haired ANBU was away. He was still recovering from his Chakra exhaustion, but he could make the girl some company at the very least. He very much doubted she would try anything, she had proved to be trustworthy so far.

''Is that so?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she sat upright on the sofa. ''And speaking of which, where is she? I haven't seen her all day.''

''She is just preoccupied. Don't stress over it.'' Said Kakashi as he sat in a nearby chair that was beside a coffee table. Yugao would much rather avoid being close to Baki if she could help it, so she asked Kakashi to do her a favor and check on Kurotsuchi while she wasn't there.

''And when is she coming back?'' Questioned the girl, finding suspicious that someone as dutiful as Yugao was disregarding her job of watching her.

''If I had to guess, I'd say until evening.'' Said the copy ninja. Yugao would probably be back once Baki went home, and that would only happen once the Kazekage office closed. Luckily, it shouldn't take that long since the sunset could already be seen. ''So for the time being, we'll just have to enjoy each other's company.'' Said the cyclops with his trademark eye-smile before he pulled one of his icha icha books and started reading it.

Kurotsuchi groaned once she saw Kakashi begin to read his smut. ''Why do you have to do that in public?! Don't you care about what people might say if they saw the famous copy ninja Kakashi reading that shit? You'll just end up tarnishing your reputation.'' Said Kurotsuchi with disgust.

''Meh. I don't really care about that. I never asked for my reputation. It was everyone else who cared more about it, honestly.'' Replied the Sharingan user as he flipped one of the pages of his book. He had used to care about it long ago, but after experiencing the kind of loses that he had, he eventually learned that those kinds of things were meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Now he would just rather enjoy life and not worry about stuff like titles or fame.

Kurotsuchi was astounded. Was this guy for real?! She would kill, literally, for having her name as renowned and feared as Sharingan Kakashi. She could not even begin to comprehend how the man took something like that so lightly.

''Still, I don't know how you can like that garbage.'' Said the girl with a grimace as she pointed to the book.

''Don't let yourself be fooled by the genre, the book it's good. It has more than just mindless sex, you know?'' Said Kakashi calmly as he continued to read.

Kurotsuchi snorted incredulously at the statement. ''Yea right.''

''Why don't you try it and see for yourself, then?'' Suggested the copy ninja in a friendly manner.

Kurotsuchi almost looked offended for even suggesting it. ''I wouldn't be caught dead reading that shit.''

''Come on, You can start from the first one to get the whole story. Just give it a read, it won't hurt you.'' Said Kakashi as he pulled a second book from his vest, but this one was colored orange instead of the green one he had already been reading. ''I'll even lend you my personal copy.''

''Why are you carrying that? You already read that one, didn't you? So what's the point?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi.

''No particular reason.'' Answered Kakashi calmly. ''So what do you say? Accept my offer?''

''Don't want it.'' Replied the girl as she crossed her arms and legs in refusal.

''Suit yourself.'' Said Kakashi smoothly. But shortly after that, the copy ninja stood up from his seat with his books still in had. ''Actually, I suddenly feel like stretching my legs. I think I'll go for a little walk.''

''Weren't you supposed to watching over me or something?'' Kurotsuchi pointed out, not caring at all in sugar coating it.

''I won't go far. I'll be in the corridor outside. But I'll leave this here, just in case you change your mind.'' Said Kakashi as he put the orange book on the coffee table.

Kurotsuchi looked at Kakashi with a deadpan expression. She wasn't going to fall for the man's obvious attempt to make her read that thing. ''Don't bother. I'm not touching that crap.''

''You can read it or not, it's your choice. I'll see you later.'' Finished the silver-haired Shinobi before giving her one last eye-smile and leaving her alone in the room.

Kurotsuchi sat in silence, glaring at the piece of literature on the table. As bored as she was, she wasn't about to degrade herself by reading erotica.

 _''The nerve of Kakashi for trying to make me read that filth.''_ Thought the girl in annoyance. But the copy ninja did have a point, maybe she ought to read a small bit before disregarding it completely...She started shaking her head trying to get rid of such thoughts. _''I'm not reading that dirty book and that's final!''_ Concluded Kurotsuchi with a huff, before she went back to staring at the book laying on the table...

-Roof of the Kazekage Tower-

Gaara and Naruto continued their chat in the balcony of the Kazekage Tower. Night had already fallen and Naruto was currently telling Gaara of the adventures of his past months.

''...And then I just barely had time to say goodbye to Kurotsuchi before I came to help you. And you probably know everything after that.'' Finished Naruto with a grin. Gaara had stayed silent through most of his tales, only nodding occasionally and giving a small comment here and there. But Naruto could tell that Gaara had listened to everything he said, as the red head had been very attentive.

''You really have been busy.'' Said Gaara. The Kazekage was somewhat impressed by the kind of things that Naruto managed to get himself into.

''I guess that's one way of looking at it.'' Added the blond sheepishly.

''However, this Kurotsuchi you keep mentioning, are you sure she is one to trust? You said she was the one who kidnapped you in the first place and tried to kill you, right?'' Inquired Gaara with crossed arms. He felt kind of hypocritical by judging the girl like that since he himself had tried to kill Naruto in the past. And as rough as the girl seemed to be, she couldn't possible be worse than Gaara had been when he was younger. But still, as a friend he couldn't help but worry about Naruto's security.

''Kurotsuchi? Of course we can trust her, she has been a good friend so far. And she also helped on the effort to get you back from those Akatsuki bastards. In fact, if she hadn't been there we might have failed the mission. She is just awesome, you don't have to worry about her.'' Naruto defended his Iwa friend with praise.

''I see.'' Replied Gaara. If Naruto felt so strongly that the girl could be trusted, Gaara could give her a chance too. ''You seem to be fond of her, despite not knowing her for that long.'' The Kazekage pointed out.

Naruto put on a thoughtful look at that. ''Well, I know she is a good person at heart. She just likes to make people think that she is cold. And between you and me, she kinda reminds me of Sasuke somewhat.'' Declared the blond.

''Of Sasuke?'' Asked a confused Gaara. ''How so?''

Naruto put a hand on his neck as he tried to find a way to properly convey his words. ''It's hard to explain. I just feel that they are alike in a lot of ways.'' Now that Naruto thought about it, both Sasuke and Kurotsuchi were prodigies that came from a respected family; they were both very competitive and despised the idea of anyone being better than them; they both hid their softer side with a mean attitude; and they were both prisoners of their hatred: Sasuke would give anything to get his revenge on his brother, and Kurotsuchi had lived all her life resenting Konoha for her mother's death. Naruto even felt that their characters were similar if Sasuke wasn't so stoic, Naruto had a feeling that the raven-haired boy would act similar to Kurotsuchi if only the Uchiha spoke his mind more often. ''And I feel this connection with her, similar to the bond I felt with Sasuke, but not quite the same.'' His relationship with Sasuke had been so strong because Naruto considered the Uchiha his best friend, and what he felt when he was around the girl was comparable, but at the same time it felt different. It really was a weird feeling.

Gaara was just as lost as his fellow Jinchuuriki. A connection that felt similar to the one he had with Sasuke, but different at the same time? Gaara had no clue what that meant, he himself wasn't very knowledgeable of personal relationships. Until just recently did Gaara start to make an effort to connect with people, so he was pretty inexperienced on these matters. ''How I see it, the most important thing is that you two get along. You'll eventually come to understand the connection you two have in due time.''

Naruto smiled thankfully at the Kazekage, grateful for his input. ''I guess you are right.''

-Inside the Kazekage tower-

 _''Don't be a fool, Himiko! That guy is obviously bad news, don't go with him!''_ Thought Kurotsuchi as she flipped through yet another page of the orange book in her hands. Her curiosity had eventually gotten the best of her and she went over to the coffee table to read a little bit of the book Kakashi had left, but the more she read the more engrossed she became, and before she knew it, she was already several chapters in.

However, as soon as the tomboy heard the door to the room starting to open, she closed the book shut as fast as lightning and hurled it all the way across the room.

''I'm back, sorry for disappearing without...'' Yugao stepped through the door and she just barely had time to see an orange book collide with the wall at the other side of the room. ''What are you doing?'' Asked the ANBU at the nervous girl sitting at the small table.

''Th-there was a fly on the wall! I was just trying to kill it!'' Replied quickly the flustered Iwa Kunoichi.

Yugao raised an eyebrow at the girl's bizarre behavior. ''That seems a little excessive just for a fly, don't you think?'' Said the purple-haired woman as she saw what the girl had thrown, and upon seeing that it was an Icha Icha book, she widened her eyes before looking at Kurotsuchi with an amused smirk. ''Wait, were you by any chance just reading that? ''

Kurotsuchi got even redder in the face, feeling shame at being caught. ''Of course not! In fact, I was just about to go find Naruto!'' Said the girl as she rapidly stood up from the chair. She needed to get out of there to avoid further humiliation. She couldn't bear to look at Yugao's sly grin anymore. She was already going to the door when she went back to pick up the book on the floor. ''I'll give this back to Hatake. I'm going to tell him to stop leaving his stuff around here, geez!'' Said the girl before she rushed to the door and left a very amused Yugao in the room.

As soon as Kurotsuchi was out of the room, she leaned on the wall and gave a deep sigh. That had probably been one of the most embarrassing moments of her life. _''This is all your fault!''_ Thought the angry girl as she glared at the book in her hands. She resolved to throw the thing out of one of the small windows in the corridor, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. _''I'll just get rid of it later. There is no rush, right?''_ Thought the girl as she put the book in the pouch on her waist. She still needed to find out what happened to Himiko after all.

Now that her small lecture time had been interrupted, she decided that she might as well go look for her blond friend. It took her a few minutes of asking around the tower if someone had seen Naruto, and after she learned that he had gone to the roof, she did just that.

-Roof of the Kazekage Tower-

Upon arriving at the roof of the building, she indeed saw Naruto leaning on the railing, but she hadn't expected to find the Kazekage along with him. She didn't know why no one told her he was hanging with the Kazekage himself. You would think that it would be the first thing people would point out.

Once Naruto spotted the Iwa Kunoichi, he broke a wide smile as she started waving at her. ''Hey Kurotsuchi, over here! Why don't you join us?''

Kurotsuchi felt uncomfortable intruding in a conversation that the Kazekage was having, so she was reluctant to comply with Naruto. ''Sorry, I didn't know you had company. I can talk to you later.''

''It's fine, you can join us. I have no problem with it.'' Said Gaara cordially.

Kurotsuchi still didn't felt comfortable with it, but turning down the Kazekage didn't feel good either. ''If you are sure...'' Said the girl with uncertainty.

''Don't worry about it, Kurotsuchi! Gaara says it's fine, so don't be so tense!'' Said Naruto.

''I'm not tense, Naruto!'' Replied the girl with a bit of annoyance. Having the blond point out her obvious discomfort didn't help matters at all. Still, she complied and approached the two Jinchuuriki.

''Gaara, this is Kurotsuchi. Kurotsuchi, this is Gaara.'' Said Naruto, introducing his two friends to each other.

''It's a pleasure.'' Said Gaara cordially as he shook hands with the girl.

''The pleasure it's mine, umm...sir.'' Said the girl with uncertainty. This was the first time that she actually paid attention to the Kazekage, and she was surprised to see that he was so freaking young! He was younger than she was for god's sake!

''Just Gaara, please. Right now I'm here as a friend, not as Kazekage.'' Said Gaara serenely.

Kurotsuchi nodded awkwardly. Even if the Kazekage said it, she still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to act so casual around him. She had heard a great deal of horror stories about Sabaku no Gaara. And even if he seemed like a reasonable person, she didn't want to risk offending him in any way, especially since he was the leader of a village that had a strained relationship with her own.

''Naruto told me you that you helped to bring me back. You have my thanks.'' Said Gaara with a small smile.

''It was nothing really. Everyone else helped just as much as I did, if not more.'' Said the girl with a humility rarely seen on her.

''Come on, Kurotsuchi! Don't sell yourself short! I heard that you were the first to get to Gaara and almost snatched him back from those bastards!'' Praised Naruto.

''Almost is not the same as actually doing it.'' Said the tomboy.

''Still, your efforts will not go unnoticed.'' Said the Kazekage. ''I'm indebted to Naruto and his friends and that includes you. I wouldn't even be alive if it wasn't for all of you.''

''I...I'll be honest, I don't know what to say.'' Replied Kurotsuchi sheepishly. She could say that being praised by the leader of an entire village, and tell you that he owed you, felt nice.

''You don't have to say that, Gaara! You don't owe us anything, that's what friends are for!'' Naruto proclaimed with a smile and squinted eyes.

''Friends also know when they should appreciate the things friends do for them and try to make it up.'' Replied Gaara with a grateful smile of his own.

Kurotsuchi watched the interaction between Naruto and Suna's leader with amazement. Seriously, how the hell did Naruto manage to be friends with everyone important?!

''By the way, Kurotsuchi, did you need me for something? You were looking for me, right?'' Questioned the blond, remembering the original reason for the girl being here.

''Well, I didn't need you for a particular reason. I just wanted to see what you were doing, that's all.'' Said the tomboy, not trying to interrupt the blond's conversation with the Kazekage anymore. ''I'll look for you later if you are busy.''

''There is no need for that. I was just about to go rest.'' Reassured Gaara. He didn't want to interfere in Naruto's interaction with the Kunoichi, even less so after the blond admitted to feeling a connection with her, whatever that meant. And he could tell that his presense was making the girl nervous. ''I'll see you later, Naruto. You can keep telling me about your travels some other time.''

''Sure! I'll see you later, Gaara!'' Said the loud blond.

''I'll take my leave then. Again, it was nice meeting you, Kurotsuchi-San.'' Finished Gaara as he started walking towards the entrance to the Kazekage tower.

''Likewise, Gaara-San.'' Responded the girl as the Kazekage left her alone with Naruto.

''You finally met Gaara. And what did you think? He is pretty cool, uh?'' Asked Naruto cheerfully.

''He is not what I expected. But he seems Okay.'' Said the girl thoughtfully, which earned her a smile from the Jinchuuriki.

''Sooo, what have you been doing? Did you talk to the bastard of your former comrade?'' Asked Naruto curiously.

At the reminder of Deidara, Kurotsuchi frowned as she recalled what the mad bomber had said about Naruto. ''Yea, I did.'' Said the girl somberly.

''And what did you talk about?'' Asked Naruto casually.

''Nothing of importance, really. He just said nonsense, pretty much. Don't worry about it.'' Said the girl with a shook of her head.

''If you say so.'' Said Naruto, not believing that to be entirely true. Kurotsuchi seemed stressed about the topic, so there had to be more to it than that, but he decided to not press the issue. ''And aside from that? How did your day go?''

''It was pretty boring to be honest. I just spent most of my time sitting around and stuff.'' Said the Iwa Kunoichi. She wasn't about to mention her confrontation with Neji and she sure as hell wasn't going to tell Naruto about the new book she picked up, so that didn't leave much else of her daily activities to talk about.

''I see.'' Replied Naruto solemnly. ''I'm sorry, Kurotsuchi. I have been so distracted lately that I have been forgetting to hang out more with you. I'm supposed to be looking after you, you know.'' However, Naruto got confused when, for some reason, his comment seemed to make the girl mad.

''You don't have the obligation to be with me all the time, so don't feel like you do.'' replied the girl with an angry look in her eyes as she crossed her arms. ''I can take care of myself, I don't need you looking over my shoulder everyday of the week.'' It irked her that Naruto felt like he had a duty to always be by her side. Well, technically he kind of did, but that wasn't the point; she enjoyed being around the idiot, and she hoped that he did too. If he only spent time with her out of commitment she couldn't help but feel offended.

''That's not it at all!'' Stated the blond, feeling a bit upset that the girl would think that. ''You are as much of a friend to me as Lee, Neji, Tenten, or Gaara are. And lately, I have barely paid much attention to you. I don't treat my precious people like that if I can help it.''

Kurotsuchi's eyes widened in shock at hearing him say that. ''Y-You think I'm precious?'' Asked the dumbfounded girl.

''Well, yea. All my friends are precious to me. I would do anything for them, so I would do anything for you also.'' Said the blond with a relaxed smile as he put his hand behind his head. Acting as if what he just said was the most natural thing to speak out loud.

Kurotsuchi blushed at hearing Naruto admit that he considered her that important to him. ''D-Don't go around saying such corny things, idiot.''

When the flustered girl broke eye contact with the blond, Naruto was starting to worry that he had said something wrong without realizing.

However, it only took a moment for the girl to look at him in the eye once again, but now, she was smiling warmly at the Jinchuuriki. ''But I suppose I can let it pass. We are friends, so it's only fair, right?'' Declared the girl, still keeping her smile and the blush on her face.

Now, it was Naruto's turn to widen his eyes in shock. This was the first time hearing the girl admit to him that she thought of him as a friend, and he couldn't be happier for it. ''I'm glad.'' Said Naruto as he gave the girl a smile too.

As they gazed at each other, Naruto couldn't help but notice that the dim light of the stars in the night sky reflected on Kurotsuchi's eyes. due to that, her pink eyes almost seemed to glow in the dark as she gave him a tender look. The effect of that, combined with the smile she was giving him, made the girl look captivating to him, and he would dare say, pretty.

''Is something wrong?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with a perplexed expression when she saw Naruto giving her a weird look.

Once Naruto realized he had been staring, he snapped back to normal as he shook his head. ''S-sorry about that. My thoughts drifted somewhere else.'' Said the blond, wondering what the heck happened to him.

''I guess that's no surprise. Your thoughts are always somewhere else.'' Replied the girl with a roll of her eyes.

''Hey, that's not true! I'm usually pretty focused on whatever I'm doing.'' Said Naruto a bit indignant.

''Uh huh.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a deadpan look, which caused Naruto to pout. ''I'm just teasing you, silly.'' Said the tomboy good-naturedly.

Naruto decided to change the subject, so instead, he directed his attention to the village. ''You know, Suna might not have tons of trees like we do in Konoha, but it still manages to look cool somehow.'' Said the blond as he overlooked the the numerous clay buildings. Since the Kazekage tower was one of the tallest buildings in Suna, they could pretty much see the entirety of the village from there.

Kurotsuchi mirrored Naruto's action as she gazed at the village enveloped in the dark. And the blond was right; even if the place was mostly a bunch of sandy cliffs, the way that the sand moved with the chilly night wind as it caressed the buildings, made Kurotsuchi feel strangely soothed. The view was like something out of a painting. ''This is so different to Iwa, but it does have a certain charm to it.'' Admitted the girl.

''I know what you mean. It's really something else, isn't it?'' commented Naruto as he leaned on the railing to have a better look at the village.

Kurotsuchi was surprised to see that Naruto was actually acting pretty tranquil for once. He wasn't being loud or anything, he just contemplated the village in silence. Deciding to join her blond friend, Kurotsuchi placed herself just beside Naruto as she too leaned on the railing.

This is what Naruto had meant in his earlier chat with Gaara. Right now, he could feel the connection that he had talked about before. Even if he and Kurotsuchi weren't really doing anything at the moment, he still could tell that they had a strange kind of bond.

With all this, Kurotsuchi had already forgotten her previous doubts that Deidara had caused. She didn't know if the bastard had said the truth and there was more to Naruto than met the eye, but right now, she didn't care. The only thing on her mind was enjoying this moment with her friend.

Meanwhile, as Naruto and Kurotsuchi continued their interaction, they were unaware of Yugao watching them through the gap of the ajar balcony door. The ANBU had gotten there since the Kazekage left. It was still her job to be watching Kurotsuchi, and after neglecting her duty all day, she wasn't about to slack off now. But out of all the times that she had watched the girl, this was the first time when she actually felt awkward in doing so. She had the feeling that the scene she was looking at was an intimate moment for the two teenagers. The thought of that worried Yugao. Them being friends was one thing, but if for some reason they were to become something more it could cause a big mess if their villages found out. But she was getting ahead of herself. They still hadn't done anything inappropriate and she could only hope it stayed that way.

And so, both teenagers kept watching the beautiful sight of the village with content, just enjoying each other's company for most of the night.

 **Author's notes:**

 **The next chapter, finally! This one took me longer than I anticipated and it ended up as the longest chapter yet! But thankfully, I didn't take as long to finish it as some of the others, which is nice. This was one of the chapters I had the most fun writing, probably due to the interactions in it, and another reason was that there were some scenes in this that I had been meaning to write since forever.**

 **Another thing I'm excited about is that I'm finally getting close to the good stuff! Kinda.**

 **And as always, please review if you feel like it, and you can even PM me for any doubts or comments you want to tell me! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and I'll see you soon!**


	18. Chapter 18: Teambuilding

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 18: Teambuilding

-Konohagakure no Sato-

''...and that concludes our report, Tsunade-Sama.'' Said Kakashi as he was just finishing telling the Hokage what transpired in their most recent mission.

The blonde woman gave a smile, pleased with the results. ''You did a great job, all of you.'' Praised the Sannin as she looked at all the people currently in her office: Team Seven, Team Gai, Yugao, and Kurotsuchi. ''Not only is this good for our relations with Suna, but this is also a setback for the Akatsuki and their plans.''

''Maybe this will teach those bastards to not mess with us! Or other villages and their Jinchuuriki for that matter.'' Said Naruto.

''If only, but I highly doubt that will be the case. If anything, this will make the Akatsuki be more cautious in the future. Nevertheless, I'm happy to see that your training paid off, Naruto. In my opinion, you handled yourself pretty well.'' Said the woman with a smile full of pride, to which the Jinchuuriki responded with a sheepish laugh as he scratched the back of his head.

''Sending reinforcements was a good call, Tsunade-Sama. Things could have gone much worse if we hadn't had help.'' Admitted Kakashi with a bit of shame. He had faith in the competency of his team, but it was true that they had come pretty close to failing the mission even with Gai and company. Without their support, things could have ended in disaster.

''I'm also relieved to see that the situation didn't take a turn for the worse.'' Responded Tsunade before she directed her gaze towards Kurotsuchi. ''On another note, I'm glad to see that you behaved yourself, girl.''

''Of course, lady Hokage. I gave my word that I would and I always fulfill my promises.'' Answered the Iwa Kunoichi, showing all the confidence she could muster, but on the inside, she was wishing with all her might that Neji kept his mouth shut. Even if the Hyuga had practically said that he wasn't going to start an issue since he didn't have evidence of what she tried to do, that didn't mean that Kurotsuchi still felt comfortable knowing that the guy could rat her out at any moment, and in front of the Hokage no less.

''Young Kurotsuchi did admirably well, Hokage-Sama! I must admit, even I had my reservations when she was assigned to come with us, but now I can say without a doubt that she is an honorable Shinobi and I would have no problem working together with her again!'' Said the energetic Gai with a smile and a thumbs up.

''Indeed! Just as Gai-Sensei says, Kurotsuchi-San was a great help, and I'm happy to call her a comrade!'' Added Lee. He wanted to give a positive opinion on the girl since the Hokage obviously still distrusted the Kunoichi heavily, but Lee concluded that Kurotsuchi didn't deserve the dislike that everyone had for her just because she was from Iwa.

''She even captured the Akatsuki member! Her knowledge on the guy really made a difference'' Added Tenten, helping her teammate put a good word for the tomboy.

Kurotsuchi was uncomfortable at Team Gai's words as she felt ashamed that she had been very close to betraying that very same trust that they put on her.

''Is that so?'' Said Tsunade with a smirk as she stared at the Iwa girl. ''Then I hope that you keep that good conduct of yours, brat. Who knows, I may eventually even let you return to Iwa if you don't cause any trouble.'' _''Like hell I would.''_ Added Tsunade mentally.

Kurotsuchi gave the woman a nod of acknowledgment ''That's very generous of you, Hokage-Sama.'' _''Like hell you would.''_ Thought the pink-eyed girl as she tried to keep a straight face in politeness.

''Anyway, as I was saying, this is a great victory for us in our efforts against the Akatsuki; not only did you guys manage to kill one of them, but you also captured the other one, so he is practically as good as dead'' Tsunade congratulated them once more.

''Speaking of which, Tsunade-Shishou'' Said Sakura, which garnered the looks of everyone present. ''When we took down of one of the Akatsuki members, he told us some information regarding Orochimaru, and could maybe even help us find Sasuke-Kun.''

That made everyone get looks of surprise, even both teams that already knew of that. With everything that had been going on they had forgotten to ask the medic on what she learned from Sasori.

Naruto was especially embarrassed, he couldn't believe that he forgot that Sakura had learned intel on Orochimaru. He had been too busy hanging out with Gaara and Kurotsuchi -More so with Kurotsuchi- that the issue never crossed his head again until know.

''I see.'' Responded Tsunade with seriousness before she looked at Gai and his team. ''Gai, you and your team are dismissed. I would like to talk with Team Seven alone if you don't mind.''

The Taijutsu master nodded in understanding. He knew that if the info concerned Orochimaru and by extension Sasuke, then this was a personal affair among Team Seven and he would rather not intrude.''Of course, Tsunade-Sama. We already reported our progress, so we should get going anyway'' Said Gai before he turned to the rest of his team. ''All right, everyone! We can't keep disregarding our training and let our flames of youth falter, so let's go!'' finished the eccentric man before he started walking to the door of the office as his team followed him without complaint.

''Naruto-Kun, Sakura-San, Kurotsuchi-San, I'll see you guys later. I might even invite you to a spar!'' Said Lee with a smile and a thumbs up before he followed his Sensei.

''See you guys around! I enjoyed working with you'' Said the friendly Tenten as she also left.

''Until next time'' Said Neji plainly before he followed the rest of his team.

''Sure guys! I'll see you soon!'' Naruto responded back with a wave of his arm.

With Team Gai gone, Tsunade proceeded to direct her gaze towards Yugao and Kurotsuchi. ''You two are also dismissed. Yugao, please escort Kurotsuchi back to her apartment.''

''Roger, Hokage-Sama.'' Answered the ANBU obediently before she turned to the girl at her side. ''Come, girl.''

''What? But..'' Kurotsuchi wanted to complain, she was curious to know about whatever Sakura had to say too. But the Iwa girl stopped herself to avoid angering the Hokage.

''It's fine, Kurotsuchi. I'll come by later to talk.'' Naruto reassured her.

Kurotsuchi knew that the blond was practically telling her that he was going to inform her later of whatever they discussed, so the Iwa Kunoichi nodded in understanding. ''Okay, I'll be going then.'' Responded the tomboy before she followed Yugao out of the office.

Now that Team Seven had been left alone with the Hokage, everyone looked at Sakura expectantly, waiting for the medic to start telling them of what she learned.

''You see, when we defeated Sasori, just before he died he told us that he had a spy among Orochimaru's ranks. And that he was supposed to meet with his spy at the Tenchi Bridge, I believe he said.'' Said the pink-haired girl.

''I see! If we manage to catch that spy we should be able to get information on that prick of Orochimaru, maybe even find out where he and Sasuke are!'' Exclaimed Naruto with excitement.

''This is indeed vital information, Sakura. I'm impressed.'' Said the Sannin with a smile, proud of how much her student had grown.

''And that's not all, Sasori said that the meeting with his spy was going to take place in ten days at the time of his death.'' Added Sakura.

Kakashi brought his hand to his chin as he pondered on this information. ''Ten days at the time of his death, uh? Well, we took a whole day to get back to Suna; then we spent another day resting; then the trip back took us three days. So that means that the meeting is supposed to take place in about five days from now.'' Concluded the cyclops with a thoughtful look.

''Then we still have plenty of time to prepare and track down this spy!'' Said Naruto with determination.

''It's not a much as you might think, brat.'' Said Tsunade. ''We have to take into account the time that it takes to get to Tenchi Bridge, which is in The Land of Grass.''

''Tsunade-Sama is right, the time it takes to get from Konoha to Kusa is about two days, more or less. So, if we are to get there in time we can't take more than three days to start the trip. And just to be safe, we shouldn't take more than two, we don't want to risk missing our chance.'' Analyzed Kakashi.

''That's correct. We can't risk not making it there in time, so I'll be sending you, Team Seven, to The Land of Grass in two days time.'' Said Tsunade sternly. ''Your mission will be to meet up with the spy that the Akatsuki infiltrated into Orochimaru's ranks. You are tasked with capturing him or her and bring them back. Since the spy has connections with both the Akatsuki and Orochimaru the information he or she may possess will be invaluable. But the information we are more interested in is the one on Orochimaru. The snake is elusive and has Uchiha Sasuke with him. This is a great chance to see if we can learn about his whereabouts, maybe it will even help us to formulate a plan to assassinate him and bring back Sasuke.''

''Understood, Hokage-Sama. Anything else?'' Said Kakashi.

''Just one more thing: You would do well to look for one more person to go with you. As you know, you are short one member and I already learned my mistake from your past mission on the risks of sending you ill-prepared.'' Said Tsunade.

''Well, that's simple! I'll just ask Kurotsuchi to come with us!'' Declared Naruto as if that was the most obvious choice to take.

Sakura sighed at the blond's choice, he just seemed to want to include that girl in everything he could.

Meanwhile, Tsunade groaned in exasperation. ''Naruto, the only reason I allowed the girl to aid you last time was because it was the best choice in that moment. But now I rather not take unnecessary risks with that girl if I can help it.'' Said the Hokage.

''But she already proved that she can be trusted! And not only that but we already saw that she works well with us.'' Insisted Naruto.

Tsunade was about to scold the Jinchuuriki when Kakashi spoke before she could.

''Actually, Tsunade-Sama, I think that sending the girl with us might not be such a bad idea.'' Said the copy ninja.

Everyone in the room looked at the Sharingan user with dumbfounded expressions. None of them, not even Naruto, expected the man to agree to let the girl go.

Kakashi decided to elaborate his point since everyone was too busy looking at him like he just grew a second head. ''As Naruto says, Kurotsuchi already showed us that she is not looking for a chance to stab us in the back. Also, she did work well with the team, and I think that splitting some other team to borrow one of their members is not necessary, not when we have someone as capable as her already available and likely willing to come.''

Naruto was the first one to snap out of his surprise and took the opportunity to use the copy ninja's agreement to his advantage. ''See? Even Kakashi-Sensei is all up for it!''

Tsunade sighed, a bit irritated. ''Dealing with Naruto's stubbornness is already bad enough, but you too, Kakashi?'' Asked the Hokage.

''Meh, maybe the girl is starting to grow on me.'' replied Kakashi with a casual shrug as he scratched the back of his head.

Tsunade didn't buy Kakashi's excuse. The man was too smart to risk the girl accompanying and something happening just because she was 'growing on him.' She massaged her temple, deciding with much reluctance to give the idea a shot. ''Fine, tell you what, If you can't find anyone else to accompany you, and if the girl agrees, she can go with you.'' Conceded the blonde.

''You are the best, Tsunade-Baachan!'' Said Naruto.

''But remember, I still want you to make a real effort to find some other member. Is that clear?'' Said the Hokage.

''Yea yea, don't worry about a thing, Tsunade-Baachan! I got this!'' Declared the Jinchuuriki.

''Well, not that we left all that clear, you are all dismissed, except for you, Kakashi. I have something to discuss with you.'' Said the woman as she looked intently at the copy ninja.

Both teenagers looked with curiosity at the Hokage, wondering what the woman wanted with their Sensei. But they decided to not dwell on it too much so they just complied.

''Okay!'' ''Understood.'' Responded Naruto and Sakura in unison before they left the office, leaving the cyclops and the Sannin alone.

Tsunade and Kakashi looked at each other silently for a few seconds until the Hokage broke the silence. ''I didn't expect you to agree with Naruto in letting the girl go with you. We don't know if she won't try anything on us, she is dangerous. What are you playing, Kakashi?'' Inquired the Hokage.

Kakashi knew that Tsunade was bound to ask him that. It was true that Kurotsuchi was kind of growing on him, but still, he was a Shinobi first above all else. If he were to consider that letting the girl come with them was too risky he wouldn't have even contemplated the option. But still, he needed to explain his reasoning to his leader. ''Tsunade-Sama, I understand your concern, but I think that letting the girl accompany us is safer than leaving her here.'' Said Kakashi.

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in wonder. ''What do you mean by that? I fail to see the logic behind that statement.''

''Naruto seems to be a good influence on the girl. I strongly believe that allowing the two of them to spend time together actually helps us keep her under control. So far, it looks like she really cares about her friendship with Naruto. By being around him I think that she is less likely to try something against Konoha.'' Explained Kakashi. He wasn't an elite ninja for nothing, he wouldn't have come so far in his career as a Shinobi if he didn't know how to read people and look underneath the underneath. And the girl seemed loyal to the ones she considered comrades. So Kakashi had full confidence that the girl wouldn't put them at risk if it meant betraying Naruto's trust.

''I see, I can certainly understand the point you are trying to make.'' Said Tsunade before she gave a sigh once again, it just seemed to be turning into a habit whenever she dealt with Team Seven. ''Well, nothing to be done about it now. I already gave you full permission to bring the girl if you couldn't find another member, so all that's left is to trust that your deductions are right.''

''I'll keep an eye out just in case, but I still think that things will go smoothly.'' Said Kakashi.

''Good. Now that we cleared that up, I have another task for you.'' Informed the Hokage.

Kakashi slightly tilted his head to the side, questioning what else could the Hokage want from him. ''Hmmm? And what would that task be, Tsunade-Sama?''

''As you know, I still have some matters to take care of regarding Iwa. I have arranged a meeting with Ohnoki at Kannabi outpost a few days from now.'' Said the Sannin.

''A meeting with the Tsuchikage at Kannabi outpost? I haven't heard anything about it until now.'' Said the surprised copy ninja.

''That's no accident. I have been keeping this as a secret to avoid creating panic within the village. If our people heard that I'm going to be meeting with the Tsuchikage they might think that war is on the horizon.'' Said Tsunade.

''So, I take it, and I hope, that it really isn't?'' Inquired Kakashi.

''That's up to Ohnoki'' Responded Tsunade gravely, which only created a tense silence in the room for a few seconds.''Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is that I don't want people to know about this meeting, so I will be going there discreetly without anyone knowing about it.''

''And how do you plan to do that, Hokage-Sama?'' Asked the Sharingan user. He was sure that if the Hokage left for a few days, people would start wondering why their leader was missing.

''That's where you come in'' Said Tsunade before she pulled a weird looking Kunai from her drawer. The Kunai had three blades instead of one and the handle was marked with a seal.

Kakashi widened his lone visible eye when he saw that particular weapon. ''That's the Yondaime's Kunai!'' He would never forget the signature weapon of his Sensei.

''Correct. I need you to take this Kunai and place it somewhere nearby of Kannabi outpost. As you know, my personal guards know the Hiraijin no Jutsu(Flying Thunder Formation Technique) Which will come in handy to getting there without anyone noticing I left'' Explained the Hokage. She was actually planning on sending shadow clones anyway, so she didn't have to worry about the way back. Her clone would just need to dispel and she would know everything that happened there. It was pretty convenient for her that Team Seven was going to travel so close to Kannabi outpost, now she would not need to send an extra team just to mark the place.

''So, to state the obvious, I should not say anything about this to anyone?'' Asked Kakashi.

''That's right. And if the girl does end up going with your team you'll have to be extra careful. We don't want her knowing that her grandfather will be meeting with me.'' Said the Hokage. ''The completion of this task is of utmost importance as you might imagine. But I trust that you will see to it that it gets done.''

''Of course, Hokage-Sama. You can leave this to me.'' Said Kakashi with resolution as he grabbed the Kunai from the desk.

''Then that's all for now. You are dismissed, Kakashi.'' Said Tsunade.

The copy ninja gave a small bow before he left the office with the intent to relax for the rest of the day. He didn't want to think that they may be going to war with Iwa in the immediate future, but there was nothing he could do about it but try to clear his mind of any tension.

-Konoha's streets-

''So, any idea on which one of your friends you want to ask first?'' Said Kurotsuchi to Naruto who was currently walking beside her through the marketplace with Yugao right behind them.

''I guess whoever we find first.'' Said Naruto. ''We could always just tell Tsunade-Baachan that we didn't find anyone and you can come with us instead.'' Suggested the blond.

''Oh no you won't!'' Said Yugao in anger. ''You are going to do what Hokage-Sama told you to do and put some effort into finding another teammate for your mission and if I have to stay with you until then that's exactly what I'll do!'' Yugao's outburst made Naruto and Kurotsuchi flinch at the unexpected reaction of the woman.

Yugao had been keeping watch over Kurotsuchi when Naruto arrived at the girl's apartment to tell her about what he discussed with the Hokage. And after Naruto explained everything, Yugao practically dragged them both out of the apartment to make the blond look for an extra member for the team. Yugao knew that if the girl went with Team Seven the Hokage would more than likely send Yugao again to keep an eye on Kurotsuchi, and the ANBU woman was already tired of being a glorified babysitter; she had been doing that for days already for God's sake! Some rest would be nice and she was going to ensure that both teenagers really went looking for members, damn it!

''Okay okay, I get it! I'll keep looking!'' Said Naruto in appeasement.

''Someone is bound to show up sooner or later, I don't see the rush, to be honest.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she put her hands behind her head in a relaxed manner which earned her a glare from the ANBU.

''You aren't taking this search seriously enough just so you can go with Naruto instead.'' Accused the purple-haired woman with crossed arms.

''You can't prove that.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a sly smirk. It wasn't like she was dying to go or anything, but being away on a mission with her blond friend was better than being stuck in Konoha with nothing better to do but to put up with people that hated her. Additionally, she really needed to keep her skills sharp if the past mission was any indication.

Yugao was about to answer the girl but her rebuttal was cut short when someone else approached the group with a greeting.

''Hey there, Naruto! What's up? I was wondering when we would see you again!'' Said Kiba Inuzuka just as he approached the group along with Shino at his side.

''Kiba? And Shino too? How are you guys?!'' Said Naruto with a bright smile.

Yugao sighed with relief at finally finding some of Naruto's friends while Kurotsuchi just looked at the duo with a disinterested face.

''Where the hell have you been? We haven't seen you since the day we brought you back'' Said Kiba.

''Sorry guys. It's been crazy lately and there are a lot of things that I have been taking care of.'' Said Naruto as he scratched his cheek.

''We heard about that. We know that you helped save the Kazekage.'' Said the ever stoic Shino.

''Yea, man. I can't believe that you just got back and you are already doing such important missions. I can't help but be envious.'' Said Kiba.

''It's just like you to get involved in those kinds of things, Naruto.'' Added Shino.

''Well, I couldn't just stand by while Gaara was in trouble. You know me.'' Said Naruto with a grin.

''Eh, you are right. But maybe next time you can bring us along with you. We could really use something intense for a change.'' Said the Inuzuka.

''I agree. I could be a great asset to the team.'' Said Shino with an unusual harsh edge in his voice.

Naruto smiled tensely. It appeared that the Aburame was still trying to prove himself to Naruto ever since he missed going on the mission to retrieve Sasuke three years ago. Shino may be quiet, but he sure was stubborn. ''I'll keep it in mind.''

However, Kiba finally noticed the Iwa Kunoichi standing behind Naruto. ''Hey, I know you. You are the Iwa girl that we brought back at that time! The one that attacked Naruto!'' Said Kiba as he pointed at the tomboy with an irritated look.

Kurotsuchi just rolled her eyes and groaned in exasperation. _''Here we go again.''_ Thought the Kunoichi. ''Oh yes, that's me. I'll also have you know that I eat newborn babies, pray to my dark god every night, and I'm the worst demon since the tailed beasts.'' Kurotsuchi said with sarcasm. ''Keep your temper to yourself, dog boy. You aren't the first or the last dunce to come pointing fingers at me for that.''

The comment just made Kiba angrier, though. ''Wha-What?! The nerve you have to talk to me like that when you and your friends are the ones to blame!''

''That was a mission, so I had no choice. That's in the past, now I'm friends with Naruto.'' Said the pink-eyed girl.

It was then that Naruto finally intervened. ''Easy there, Kiba. She is right, Kurotsuchi is my friend now.''

''You gotta be kidding me, dude.'' Said Kiba, not understanding how Naruto could be so forgiving.

''Just drop it, Kiba.'' Said Shino as calmly as ever. ''If even Naruto doesn't mind her, then I don't think it is our place to judge.''

''He is our friend, of course it is our place! She almost killed him!'' Insisted the Inuzuka.

''Ahem! Naruto, aren't you forgetting to ask your friends something?'' Reminded Yugao before they strayed even more from their original assignment.

Naruto nodded at the ANBU, deciding that going back to their initial purpose was a better alternative than having Team Eight arguing over Kurotsuchi. ''Hey guys, putting aside that for now, I actually had something to ask of you.''

At least that seemed to distract Kiba from picking a fight with Kurotsuchi, and the feral boy focused his attention on Naruto once more. ''Uh? You wanted something from us? Okay, what is it?''

''Well, you see, my team is about to go on a mission and we need one more member. So I was wondering if any of you guys would be up for it?'' Asked the Jinchuuriki.

''I'm sorry Naruto, but Hinata, Kiba, and I will be going on a mission with Kurenai-Sensei. I'm afraid we are rather unavailable at the moment.'' Said the stoic Shino.

''Shino, you are always complaining that we never bring you to our missions, and when I do ask you to come you refuse.'' Naruto pointed out with a deadpan look.

''He is not wrong.''Kiba pointed out to the bug user.

That actually made Shino pause to think about it, apparently somewhat annoyed that what Naruto said was true.

''By the way Naruto, who is the lady? A friend of yours?'' Asked Kiba sheepishly as he looked at Yugao and she raised an eyebrow at the Inuzuka's sudden attention in her.

''Who, Yugao?'' Said the Genin as he looked over to the ANBU.

''I don't see any other ladies around.'' Replied Kiba with a snide smirk which secured him a cold glare from Kurotsuchi. ''Anyway, Inuzuka Kiba. A pleasure to meet you, miss.''

''Aburame Shino. Glad to make your acquaintance.'' Added Shino politely to keep proper etiquette.

''Uzuki Yugao. Pleased to meet you.'' Said the purple-haired woman, feeling a bit uncomfortable at earning the interest of a teenager.

Then, Kiba put an arm around Naruto's shoulders and dragged him a few feet away from the group to talk to him in a low voice. ''Naruto, you bastard. How the hell do you know such a pretty chick like her?''

''She is one of Kurotsuchi's ANBU guards, so she is by her side most of the time.'' Explained Naruto with a curious look. ''And what's with that attitude all of a sudden?''

However, Kiba just ignored the blond's question. ''Man, Now I'm jealous for real right now! I'm always with Hinata and Shino, so I never get to meet such hot girls!'' Complained the feral boy.

''And speaking of which, where is Hinata?'' Asked Naruto at the mention of the shy girl, remembering that he hadn't seen the Hyuga heiress in a while.

''Now that you mention it, she was here with us just before we approached you. I wonder where she went off to.'' Said Kiba as he glanced around the street.

Meanwhile, just around the corner of one of the nearby buildings, said Hyuga had her back nervously pressed against the wall. _''You can do it, Hinata! You already saw Naruto-Kun the other day. There is no need to be so embarrassed in meeting up with him. But what am I going to say to him? What if I stutter or say something stupid? Or both?!''_ The shy girl tormented herself mentally, trying to make up her mind to go and talk to the object of her affections.

''Here you are Hinata, I found you!'' The abrupt appearance of Naruto's face just a few inches away from Hinata's made the girl give a surprised screech and headbutted the blond due to her shock.

''There you are, Hinata! I didn't even notice when you left.'' Said Kiba as he approached the Hyuga along with Shino, Kurotuchi, and Yugao.

''Oww, it hurts it hurts!'' Complained Naruto as he rubbed the bridge of his bleeding nose.

''Naruto, are you all right?!'' Asked Kurotsuchi before she looked at Hinata fiercely. ''What's wrong with you? Be more careful!''

''I'm sorry!'' Said Hinata in panic.

''Hey, don't talk to Hinata like that! Is not her fault that Naruto appeared out of nowhere and frightened her!'' Said Kiba, defending his teammate.

''She is a ninja, isn't she? What kind of Kunoichi reacts like that?'' Said the tomboy.

Before Kiba escalated the argument, Naruto decided to get between the duo. ''Don't worry, Kurotsuchi, I'm fine. Hinata didn't mean to do that'' Reassured Naruto as he put an arm around Hinata's shoulders, not unlike how Kiba had done with him just a few minutes earlier. ''See? No harm done!''

However, that action made Hinata widen her eyes in shock and her face went bright red. _''Na-Naruto-Kun is holding me!''_ That was Hinata's last thought before her mind went blank and she fainted, falling to the ground with a thud.

''Hinata, what's wrong?!'' Asked Naruto.

''Damn it! Not again!'' Said Kiba. ''This is your fault, Naruto!''

''Me?! What did I do?!'' Said the blond.

''This always happens whenever you are around!'' Accused the Inuzuka.

''But I never do anything!'' Added the Jinchuuriki.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi and Yugao looked at the scene with puzzled expressions while Shino just stayed silent, as he was already used to this.

-Iwagakure no Sato-

Kitsuchi was on his way to meet with his father and was currently going up the stairs to the Tsuchikage Tower, as he had been informed to go immediately. Apparently, whatever the issue was had to be of the highest urgency. He and Ohnoki barely talked to each other after what happened in the mission to capture the Kyuubi. For his father to call him like this despite knowing that Kitsuchi didn't want anything to do with him right now had to mean that this was way more important than their current dispute.

Kitsuchi knocked on the door of the Tsuchikage's office, and after a moment, he got permission to enter and he walked towards his father, stopping just before his desk.

''You wanted to see me, Tsuchikage-Sama?'' Asked Kitsuchi with formality, avoiding referring to his father in the casual manner he usually did.

''I did.'' Said Ohnoki with a scowl. He really would have hoped that Kitsuchi would talk to him again like he used to. The Tsuchikage already knew that his bad decisions not only cost him both of their Jincuuriki but also several lives of Iwa's citizens. They had thought that Kurotsuchi was among the loses but it looked like the girl still had a chance, and that was the reason that Ohnoki called Kitsuchi in the first place. ''A letter arrived from Konoha.''

''Really? Did they say what they are going to do about the attempt on their Jinchuuriki?'' Asked Kitsuchi.

''More than just that. Here, you have to read it for yourself'' Said the Tsuchikage as he handed his son a folded sheet of paper.

Kitsuchi didn't waste any time and took the letter from the small man and proceeded to read it in silence, and as he did so, his emotions shifted from confusion to alarm, and finally, to hopefulness. ''I can't believe it! Kurotsuchi is alive! She is in Konoha but she is alive!'' Said the man in relief, he hadn't heard anything about his daughter in a long time, they had thought her to be dead. If the possibility to see Kurotsuchi again was there, as a parent it filled him with hope.

''Don't get your expectations up just yet. this could be a trap for all we know'' Said Ohnoki sternly.

''They want to meet with you to negotiate Kurotsuchi's safety in exchange for compensation. I'm sure that they will bring proof of her wellbeing if they want us to take them seriously'' Said Kitsuchi.

''Even if what they say is true, maybe she is as good as dead. Who knows what kind of treatment she has endured so far while in their care. She might be broken beyond help at this point'' Said the Tsuchikage coldly. He didn't want to think about his granddaughter in such a state, but he was a leader and had to think about this logically, he couldn't just let his emotions dictate his actions.

''Don't you say that!'' Said Kitsuchi with a finger pointed at the small man. ''You got us into this mess, so now we have to get her out of it!''

''Don't talk to me like that'' Warned the old man. ''And you know we can't trust Konoha. They must be itching to get revenge on us. If we don't treat this carefully we might make the situation even worse''

''It can't be worse than it already is. But Kurotsuchi is alive! I don't know if we can't trust that they haven't abused her in any way, but I just want to get her back!'' Said the Jounin.

Ohnoki could see the desperation in his son's eyes, and he had to admit that he felt the same way even if he wanted to keep a clear head. Ohnoki sighed in resignation, it seemed that he would have to take a risk. ''They want to meet us at Kannabi outpost. I didn't trust in going at first, but I concede that we shall find out in they truly have Kurotsuchi with them.''

''In that case, I'll be going with you!'' Said Kitsuchi with determination.

''Don't be so hasty. We aren't going in person. We will get close enough and then send clones in our stead. If I have to guess that's what they will do too.'' Concluded the old Kage.

''I guess we have no choice in the matter if Kurotsuchi's safety is concerned.'' Said Kitsuchi. ''I just hope that she is being treated fairly''

-Konoha's Streets-

Kurotsuchi munched on a stick of dango as she once again roamed the street with Naruto and Yugao in tow. Their encounter with Team Eight proved to be fruitless so that only left them to find some other team willing to lend one of its members.

''I can't believe we haven't managed to find anyone yet'' Lamented the ANBU.

''At least I hope that the next ones we find don't make a scene like that'' Added Kurotsuchi as she took another bite of her food. ''And how is your nose, Naruto? did it stop bleeding?''

''Yeah, a while ago actually. Told you it wasn't a big deal.'' Said the blond.

''You have such weird friends. A headbutt, really? What kind of greeting is that? Even if you surprised her that's no excuse.'' Said the tomboy, still annoyed.

''Hey don't be too hard on Hinata. She is one of the nicest people I know'' Said the Jinchuuriki. ''She just tends to be a bit weird from time to time it's all. For example, she never looks at me in the eye despite being very kind when we talk. And I think she is very sickly too. Whenever I see her she is always red in the face and faints every time I get too close. But as I said, She is always very kind to me even with all her odd quirks.'' However, he stopped rambling when he noticed that both females had ceased walking and were giving him stares of disbelief.

 _''You gotta be kidding me! No one can possibly be this dense!''_ Thought Kurotsuchi as she kept looking at her friend with a deadpan expression.

 _''Oh my God! This kid! Not even Hayate was this bad!''_ Reflected Yugao as she mirrored the face of the younger Kunoichi.

''What?'' Asked the puzzled Naruto as he too halted to look at them intently.

''Your idiocy still finds ways to surprise me'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I can't disagree with her this time'' Added the purple-haired woman.

''What's that supposed to mean?! What did I say now?'' Said the confused boy.

''Forget it'' Said both girls in unison as they resumed their walk, deciding that Naruto was a lost cause.

''You can't just say something like that out of nowhere and leave me hanging! Hey!'' Said Naruto as he started chasing after them but to no avail, since they completely dropped the topic.

After that, they didn't take long to run into someone else.

''Aren't those your friends?'' Said Kurotsuchi as she spotted the familiar figures of Team Ten walking towards them.

''You are right! Hey Shikamaru, Ino, Chouji, how are you guys?!'' Said the Jinchuuriki as he approached his friends along with his two female companions.

''Look, if it isn't Naruto and Kurotsuchi! Hello there!'' Replied Ino with a smirk, noticing the group right away.

''Good to see you again. It's been a while.'' Replied Chouji, eating from a bag of chips as always.

''Yo'' Shikamaru greeted them with a lazy salute.

''What have you two been up to? We haven't seen you since the day we ate together.'' Said Ino.

''A lot of things, really. I'll tell you later, right now I wanted to ask you guys something.'' Said Naruto.

''We are looking for an extra member for Naruto's team. He is going on a mission and he needs one more person'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I see'' Said Shikamaru. ''Sorry, but I have to sort some paperwork for the Chunin exams.''

''Yea, and Chouji and I have a mission with Asuma-Sensei. I wish I could do something about it.'' Said Ino apologetically.

''I dunno, I think that we could ask Asuma-Sensei to let us help. It just doesn't feel right to deny a request for help from Naruto.'' Said Chouji with a friendly grin.

''He is not going to agree. Without me helping you the team is already short a member. He is not going to make the unit even smaller.'' Reasoned Shikamaru.

''Well, that's a shame.'' Said Naruto, but despite what he said he didn't seem that bothered by it. ''Don't sweat it, is no big deal. I'll just find someone else.''

''As I said, we are sorry.'' Said the shadow user before he looked at Yugao. ''Also, is good to see you, Yugao-San.''

''I can say the same to you, Nara.'' Said the woman cordially despite feeling depressed that they failed yet again to get another member.

''You know each other?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''Yea, I'm always helping with stuff like the Chunin exams and the like. Sometimes I have to work with the ANBU to organize the security.'' Explained Shikamaru.

''Anyway, why don't you guys join us for a while? We have some free time before our mission and we were planning on grabbing a bite. We could use the company.'' Suggested the Yamanaka.

''That sounds like a great- Uff.'' Naruto was interrupted when Yugao smacked him on his side with her elbow.

''Actually, we have to keep get back to our job, Isn't that right, you two?'' Said the purple-haired woman to Naruto and Kurotsuchi, but despite sounding friendly both teenagers picked on the dangerous undertone of her voice, daring them to say otherwise.

''Y-Yea, I think we should better get on our way.'' Said Kurotsuchi with an uneasy smile. It was still strange for her to see the normal calm ANBU be so adamant to the point of being aggressive. It showed that Yugao really wanted to get another member for the mission.

''Awww, that's too bad.'' Said Ino in disappointment. ''In that case, I think we too should go. I'm starving right now and I don't want to leave for our mission without eating anything first.''

''That's right. I can't perform at my best with an empty stomach either.'' Said the Akimichi, never letting a chance to eat get away.

''And I'll go back to working on that paperwork.'' Added Shikamaru. ''So, I'll see you all later.'' Finished the shadow user with a wave before he turned to leave.

''Come, Chouji. Bye guys, I'll talk with you another time!'' Said Ino as she also left.

''See ya.'' Replied the plump boy as he followed his female teammate.

As soon as Team Ten left the immediate vicinity, Yugao slumped her shoulders in defeat and exasperation. ''There goes another team that can't spare a member'' Lamented the woman.

''Nothing to be done about it. If they can't help that's just how things are.'' Said Kurotsuchi.

That only left another person to find: Gai. But Despite looking for the man and his team they couldn't find them anywhere. They couldn't even find the Taijutsu user in the training grounds.

they guessed that Gai probably requested another mission already. Knowing the eccentric man he most likely didn't waste any time into going right away for another activity to do. Or maybe he had gone out of the village for some special training regime? With Gai, you could never be sure.

''Okay, I give up'' Said a worn Kurotsuchi. ''I think we should stop for today.

''And it's getting late.'' Said Naruto as he looked at the setting sun that had already started to be covered by the cliffs ''I think we better continue tomorrow.''

''Yugao, where are you going?'' Said Kurotsuchi once she noticed the purple-haired woman walking away.

''I'm going home to rest. Just as Naruto said, it's getting late and I'm tired.'' Answered the ANBU before she resumed walking. ''Also, I don't think I will be able to help you look for members tomorrow. Just letting you know.'' She had pretty much just resigned herself to the idea that she would have to go with them on their mission. So with that in mind, she might as well use her remaining free time to rest. Her ANBU comrades could watch over the tomboy just fine by themselves.

''What's up with her? I still don't understand why she cares about this so much.'' Naruto asked the Iwa Kunoichi.

''Who knows'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''So, you want to grab something to eat? We have not eaten since breakfast.'' Suggested Naruto.

Kurotsuchi bit her lip as she thought about it. They might as well, last time they tried going out to eat together they were interrupted by Konohamaru but the idea still seemed appealing. ''Sure, why not?''

''Great! Come, I never got a chance to show you Ichiraku!'' Said the blond as he picked up the pace and started walking in the direction of his favorite restaurant as Kurotsuchi followed him.

In just a few minutes they arrived at Ichiraku, and Naruto could see that both Teuchi and Ayame were in the ramen stand, not surprising since it was still early for Ayame to go home.

''What's up old man! Hi, Ayame!'' Greeted Naruto as soon as he entered the small restaurant accompanied by Kurotsuchi.

''I was wondering when our favorite customer would show up!'' Said Teuchi with a smile.

''Good to see you, Naruto! I barely see you anymore since you came back from your training trip!'' Said Ayame. She was a fair-skinned girl with long brown hair and dark eyes. She was wearing a white robe, jut like her father, and had a white cloth that she used to keep her hair in place.

''You know how it is, Ayame-Nee. Now my great ninja skills are always in need and I barely have much time to do anything else.'' Boasted Naruto.

''I don't doubt it. And I see you brought a new friend!'' Said Ayame when she noticed Kurotsuchi.

Ayame's observation caught the attention of Teuchi and he didn't miss a beat in welcoming the girl personally. ''A newcomer! Welcome to Ichiraku, miss! I do believe we haven't seen you around here before.'' Said the man before he noticed the Iwa headband on the girl's forehead.

Kurotsuchi noticed the man looking at her headband for a moment with his head tilted in confusion, but that only lasted a few seconds and the ramen chef gave her a grin once more.

''So, what can I get you?'' Asked the man.

''I want an order of miso ramen!'' Said Naruto with eagerness.

''I'll have the same. He is the ramen expert after all.'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Two orders of miso ramen coming right up!'' Said Teuchi as he and Ayame went into the kitchen.

''I'm sure you'll agree with me that this is the best ramen ever. Just wait 'till you try it'' Said Naruto to the pink-eyed girl as they both took a seat at the counter.

''It does smell nice. And the place is not bad.'' Said the girl as she looked around the small restaurant. It was a humble place, but it had a homely feel to it. It was nice.

''You better believe it! I've eaten here since I was little and I still have yet to taste a better ramen!'' Declared the blond.

''No kidding? You actually know this place from that long long ago?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''Yep, even before I even entered the academy. This was the first place willing to sell me anything, actually.'' Said Naruto with a reminiscing look.

''What do you mean by 'willing'?'' Said the tomboy with a raised eyebrow.

''Umm, you see, because of the...the you know what...'' Said the blond as he brought a hand to the seal on his stomach. ''Because of it most people never sold me stuff as a kid. Old man Teuchi was the first person to treat me like any other customer despite everything.'' Explained the Jinchuuriki as he remembered those lonely days.

A look of realization hit Kurotsuchi. She had forgotten for a moment how disliked Naruto was among the Konoha citizens, of course it wouldn't have been better when he had been a child. It now made sense why Naruto liked this place so much. Also, that might explain why Teuchi didn't seem to care too much even when he clearly noticed she was from Iwa. The man was obviously very open-minded, so it wasn't that strange that he didn't mind that she was from an enemy nation.

''There you go!'' Teuchi interrupted them when he put two bowls of ramen in front of them. ''Two bowls of miso ramen. I hope you enjoy them!''

''Thanks, old man!'' Said Naruto with a smile as he grabbed his chopsticks. ''Itadakimasu!'' And with that, the blond started digging into his meal at lightning speed.

Kurotsuchi could only stare in amazement at the pace in which Naruto devoured the bowl. ''Do you even savor it by any chance?''

''You bet!'' Responded the Jinchuuriki as he finished swallowing the remaining soup with a content sigh. ''Another serving, please!''

''Already on it'' Responded Teuchi before he brought yet another bowl. He was already used to Naruto's way of eating, he pretty much could already tell when the boy would want more, which was most of the time.

Kurotsuchi couldn't believe it, Naruto was already starting his second bowl and she had yet to eat any of hers. Finally, she turned to her own meal and brought some of the noodles to her mouth. She widened her eyes momentarily at the taste. ''Naruto, you were right for once. This is really good.'' Said the tomboy before she hastily started eating the rest.

''Told ya!'' Responded the boy with a wide smirk, happy to see that the girl was enjoying herself.

''I'm always delighted to see a new customer satisfied!'' Said Teuchi.

By the time both teenagers finished, Kurotsuchi had eaten two bowls but was nothing compared to the dozen bowls Naruto ate.

''I'm full. I can't believe how much ramen you can eat, Naruto.'' Said the girl.

''Uh? I thought I moderated myself well.'' Said Naruto which gained him an odd look from the pink-eyed girl.

''Excuse me, miss, I forgot I hadn't introduced myself. I'm Ayame, pleased to meet you.'' Said the civilian girl to the Kunoichi.

Kurotsuchi was a bit taken back by the question as she didn't expect the older girl to try and start a conversation with her. ''I'm Kurotsuchi. Pleased to meet you too.''

''You aren't from around here, are you?'' Asked Ayame, taking the opportunity to try and learn more from Naruto's new female friend. She was happy that the boy was starting to show some more interest in other girls besides Sakura, or at least Ayame hoped he did.

Kurotsuchi looked inquisitively at the curious girl. That question came out of nowhere, but she supposed that if she knew Naruto since they were kids she ought to see the blond as family and would want to know more about the new friends he made. ''I'm from Iwa.''

''Iwa, uh? Interesting, I have never met anyone from there.'' Said Ayame with a reflective look. She knew that Iwa and Konoha didn't get along, but if Kurotsuchi was Naruto's friend that was enough for Ayame to not think about it too much. Rather, she directed her attention to Naruto and looked at him with a foxy grin. ''Naruto, I didn't know you had turned into a lady killer. When were you going to tell me you got a girlfriend?'' Ayame could not resist teasing Naruto about this.

''Wha-what?! We aren't- I mean we are just- I mean...''Naruto got flustered and tried to explain to Ayame that they were just friends, but he couldn't articulate a proper sentence due to his nervousness.

Kurotsuchi blushed a little at hearing the older girl say something like that, but she found amusing the way that Naruto mumbled like a fool in his predicament, so instead of making a scene over this, she decided to play along. ''Honey, that's terrible! Why haven't you let everyone know about us?! Don't you love your girlfriend?'' Said Kurotsuchi with a grin and a wink as she put her arm around Naruto and put her cheek on his own.

Naruto's face got even redder at the bold action of the girl next to him, and in his stupor, he went completely mute. This only made Kurotsuchi's mischievous grin get even larger.

''Naruto, your face is as red as a tomato!'' Said Ayame as she laughed in her palm.

''Girls please stop teasing the poor boy. I think he is going to pass out at this rate.'' Said Teuchi who also smiled at their antics.

Naruto decided that it was best to leave for now or they might continue tormenting him. ''I think we'll be going now! Thanks for the ramen old man!'' Said Naruto as he paid the tab before quickly leaving the place with a still laughing Kurotsuchi

''See you later and thanks for coming!'' Said Ayame with a wave of her arm as the teenagers left.

Even on the street, Kurotsuchi was still teasing the Jinchuuriki. ''Hahaha! You should have seen your face!''

''You are both evil'' Said Naruto with crossed arms.

''That's not a nice thing to say to your girlfriend, Naruto.'' Said Kurotsuchi between giggles.

Naruto looked at the laughing girl with an expression that left clear that he wasn't amused by this. Girls always got a kick of making him uncomfortable. Kurotsuchi as his girlfriend? That was ridiculous, they were friends! Also, there was no way that the Iwa prodigy would like him in that way. But now that he thought about it, the idea wasn't that unappealing. She wasn't ugly or anything, in fact, he thought her eyes were really pretty, her laugh was kinda cute, she was smart, and... _''Bad thoughts''_ He shook his head again to get rid of that particular train of thought. They were friends and that was it! This was the second time he found himself thinking such things, so he wondered what was going on.

Kurotsuchi frowned with perplexity when she saw the blond shaking his head and making weird faces. ''What are you doing?''

Naruto looked at the girl with wide eyes, for a moment he had forgotten that she was standing just beside him. ''Sorry, I was spacing out.''

''You seem to be doing that a lot lately. More than usual at least'' The girl pointed out.

''I know. I wish I knew why'' Said the Jinchuuriki without a clue.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at the blond's odd behavior, but she decided to drop the topic. ''Sooo, what you wanna do now? Is not that late yet so we could still do something else. Unless you have other things to do that is.'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Naruto pondered on that for a bit. A distraction to clear his head would be nice. After a moment, he perked up when an idea came to mind. ''I know a good place! Come!'' Said the boy before he grabbed Kurotsuchi's arm in excitement to drag her away with him.

Kurotsuchi was momentarily stunned by the action but she let herself be dragged nevertheless. She didn't want to ruin Naruto's enthusiasm. And besides, She didn't mind his touch, and in a way, their closeness was comforting.

After a few minutes, she started to wonder where Naruto was taking her since they were already on a remote cliff with stairs that seemed to go to the top of the Hokage mountain.

''Naruto, where exactly are we going?'' Kurotsuchi decided to ask at last.

''To my favorite place in the whole village! To the top of the Hokage faces! On top of the Yondaime to be precise. The view of the village is pretty nice from up there.'' Said Naruto as he happily continued to drag Kurotsuchi by the arm, when suddenly the girl refused to move anymore. Startled, Naruto looked back at the tomboy to ask what the problem was, but he didn't get a chance to do so.

''Not going.'' Said Kurotsuchi simply.

''Uh? Why not? I promise the view is nice, trust me.'' Insisted the blond.

''I'm not going anywhere close to anything related to that man. That includes the monument in his honor.'' Said the tomboy with a frown.

''What do you mean by that? The Yondaime was awesome! He was the best ninja ever.'' Said Naruto. he almost looked offended at the disrespect to his idol.

''Awesome?! He was a miserable piece of shit!'' Said the Kunoichi as her pink eyes glinted with anger.

''Take that back! He was the strongest and kindest Hokage ever!'' Said Naruto now getting angry too.

''Kind my ass, he was a murderer! A butcher!'' Kurotsuchi shot back.

''He was a hero!'' Said a heated Naruto.

''He killed my mother!'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Now that made Naruto go quiet as he stared agape at the girl before him. He hadn't known that piece of information. She already told him that her mom was killed by Konoha ninja, but he didn't know that the Yondaime was the one who had done it. ''But everyone loves the Yondaime.''

Kurotsuchi snorted at that. ''In Konoha maybe. He massacred hundreds of our ninja in cold blood, my mother included.'' She waited to see if Naruto had anything to say about it, but he just seemed to be troubled and deep in thought, so she just continued. ''In the last war, there was no man more hated and feared in Iwa than your Yondaime. He was almost like the boogeyman back then.''

''I-I didn't know any of that.'' Said Naruto with melancholy. ''We always praised the Yondaime as one of the best. I never expected him to do something like that.''

''Of course you Konoha assholes would praise him. Iwa's misfortunes are Konoha's gain.'' Said Kurotsuchi coldly.

Naruto didn't know what to think, he simply couldn't believe just like that that his idol had done such terrible things. ''Are you sure he is the one that did that to your mom?'' Said the Jinchuuriki trying to find any reason to think that his favorite Hokage didn't really do such awful acts, but his question just enraged Kurotsuchi further.

The Kunoichi's eyes lit up in fury as she grabbed Naruto by the collar of his jacket and looked at him straight in the eye. ''I'm pretty sure I would know something as important as that, moron! There is no one I hate more than that prick and I've always thought that is a shame that his death wasn't more painful that it was!''

''Is just that I still find it hard to believe how the Yondaime could have been that bad.'' Said Naruto stubbornly even as Kurotsuchi tightened her grip on him.

''Ho-how dare you...'' Kurotsuchi had been about to punch Naruto in the gut for the insensible comment when an ANBU let his presence be known to the girl as he peeked at her from a nearby tree with his hand on the scabbard of his blade.

Kurotsuchi huffed in annoyance. Nowadays she was so used to the ANBU following her that she often forgot that they were even there. So she just settled for pushing Naruto off of her before shooting him a glare. ''Go fuck yourself then! And forget about me going with you on your mission, I'm done talking to you, dumbass!'' Finished the girl before she turned around and rushed towards the village once again.

''Kurotsuchi, wait!'' Naruto called out to the girl in vain as she left him there alone. ''I just wanted to apologize'' whispered Naruto to himself. He had screwed up. Now it seemed that he made Kurotsuchi angry, for real this time. Just when he thought they had made real progress in their relationship he had to say something like that.

With all that had happened, Naruto decided to head home and call it a day; and the evening had been going so well too...

Kurotsuchi walked furiously through the streets of Konoha. The nerve of Naruto to try and defend the Yondaime, and after learning of what he did to her mother no less. He better not approach her in the immediate future or he would regret it. The girl didn't know what time it was, but judging by the barren street she guessed that it had to be late. However, she soon noticed that she wasn't as alone as she had thought.

She saw a young man standing at the end of the street, facing her. He had short, straight black hair, and pale skin. he was wearing black pants and a gray midriff shirt with a short black jacket that left his abdomen completely bare. On his back, he had what appeared to be a backpack and a Tanto. He had his eyes squinted as he gave her a creepy emotionless smile. It really wasn't the most comforting thing to see at the end of a dark street.

As the boy just stood there staring towards Kurotsuchi's direction, the girl concluded that he had to be looking at her since there was no one else at this hour. ''What the hell are you looking at, faggot?!'' Right now she wasn't in the mood to be dealing with eerie weirdos.

At first, the young man didn't say or did anything, but after a few seconds, he started to walk slowly towards her, all the while as he kept his smile. ''Greetings. I was looking for Naruto. I didn't expect to find his pet instead.''

''What did you just call me?'' Said Kurotsuchi with narrowed eyes.

''A pet'' He answered back plainly, seemingly not intimidated at all by her chilly glare.

''Do you have a death wish, asshole?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''What did I say? I don't believe I said anything incorrect, did I?'' Said the pale boy, for the first time changing his expression to reflect confusion. ''I heard that he takes care of you. Pays for your food, your clothes, your living space, and takes complete responsibility for you. Not to mention that you are a prisoner, which in everyone's eyes is no better than an animal. If that isn't a pet I don't know what it is.'' By the time he finished talking he had stopped just a few meters in front of Kurotsuchi.

It was taking said girl all her will power to not throw herself at the fucker and tear him to shreds in the most painful way possible. But she knew that as much as she would love to do that, it would be futile to try. Even if the streets looked empty she knew that the ANBU never left her alone. So she had no choice but to put up with the weirdo for as long as she could muster. ''What we do is not your business.'' Said the girl through clenched teeth. Being reminded that she was a liability to Naruto just made it harder to keep herself in check. Not to mention that having this guy mock her lack of independence hurt her ego.

''He is a fellow Konoha Shinobi who is interacting on a daily basis with a potential enemy. I think that it is my business to care about it'' Said the odd boy. ''I don't envy Naruto. Having to take hours of his time every single day to spend with an ugly girl like you. Actually, I feel bad for all the people that have to put up with you, how miserable you must make them all, having to act nice to you just so you can feel like you fit in with us''

Kurotsuchi was shaking in rage as she stared at the boy with hatred. She had to contain herself, she had to. She didn't need to be reminded of how alone she was here. She had made some friends, but could she say with certainty that all of them were friends out of their own free will? Or were they putting up with her just to not make things more difficult for Naruto?

She didn't want to hear more of this and tried to walk away from the freak, but he blocked her path, making it clear that he wasn't going to let her get away just like that.

''But on a second thought, I guess that idiot Naruto got himself into this mess to begin with.'' The pale boy continued to provoke her, talking as if he hadn't just cut her path. ''I heard he was the one that helped you to avoid a sentence. I can't imagine any logical explanation on why he would do something like that even when you are a burden for him. The only possibility left is that he is a moron, or that he had something to gain from that''

Kurotsuchi didn't know how much she could continue listening to this asswipe without losing her temper. But he did raise a point that she had never paid much mind until now: That Naruto helped her with her sentence when he didn't have anything to gain from it. They hadn't been friends yet, so she wondered if this guy was insinuating that the blond had some ulterior motive? She shook her head, refusing to believe it. Even if she was angry at Naruto right now, that didn't mean that she should let this jackass undermine the deeds he had done for her. ''I'm warning you. Shut the fuck up.'' Said the girl with barely contained rage.

''A prisoner has no right to make demands of me'' Said the boy, still smiling. ''In fact, as a prisoner you are practically a slave to us. You are the one that should listen to my demands. You may not be attractive, but you might still make a good whor-'' He was interrupted by a slap to the face, but not by the girl he had been expecting.

Yugao stood beside the stunned young man, with her hand still extended from the previous hit she gave him. ''That is no way to talk to a lady, kid''

''Yugao?'' Said Kurotsuchi in surprise. She hadn't even sensed the woman nearby. ''What are you doing here? I thought you had gone home to rest''

''I had'' Said the purple-haired woman. One could notice that she hadn't been on duty since she didn't have her ANBU uniform, and was instead using a casual attire: a sleeveless blue top and cargo pants. ''I went to your apartment earlier to see if you had made any progress after I left you. When I saw that you hadn't arrived yet I came to find you''

''That's...surprisingly thoughtful of you.'' Said Kurotsuchi, a bit more calm now that Yugao was here.

''And you...'' Said Yugao as she directed her attention to the rude boy she had just smacked. ''Leave, or I'll make you leave''

''I understand. Sorry if I offended you in any way'' Responded the pale-skinned man with the same fake grin he always seemed to have.

''Go the fuck away, asshole!'' Demanded Kurotsuchi.

''Leave. Now.'' Warned Yugao, backing Kurotsuchi up.

The boy just nodded obediently, smile still on his face, before he turned around and walked away. It seemed that the assignment that Danzo-Sama gave him would have to wait for some other time. He had been so close to making the girl attack him and completing that particular mission. It didn't matter right now anyway, there was no rush. It wasn't like he felt frustrated either. After all, he never felt anything at all.

Now with the unwanted presence of the boy gone, Kurotsuchi turned to Yugao with a grateful look. ''Thanks for that. That prick was really starting to get on my nerves''

''Don't mention it'' Said the older woman before she let out a sigh. ''I leave you alone for a few hours and you get yourself into these situations''

''Uhh...Sorry?'' Responded the tomboy.

''Anyhow, I'll walk you to your apartment in case that the creep is still around'' Suggested the purple-haired woman.

Kurotsuchi didn't feel comfortable depending on Yugao to watch her back, but she also didn't want to take the risk of running into the pale-skinned weirdo by herself again. So she just nodded in agreement. And with that, both girls started walking in the direction to Kurotsuchi's apartment.

''You know, it would have been good to let me know that I could rely on the ANBU to have my back. In that case, I would not have tolerated that bastard for as long as I had.'' Said Kurotsuchi as they continued their stride.

''Is good that you did. Our task is not to help you, just to stop you if you try anything. If you had attacked him, my comrades would have put you down or seized you and brought you to the Hokage.'' Responded Yugao.

Kurotsuchi gave the older woman a quizzical look. ''But you just-''

''What I did, I did it outside of my shift'' Interrupted Yugao. ''I helped you on my own accord, not because It was my duty.''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock at Yugao's admission. All this time she just figured that the woman begrudgingly tolerated her due to her job. She never thought that she would go out of her way to help her just because she wanted to. Well, at least she hadn't been wrong in her previous assumption that the ANBU would not help her even if she was the one being wronged.

Yugao noticed the look on the tomboy, and she had a pretty good idea of what she was thinking. ''I heard a bit of what that guy told you. You don't believe any of that, do you?''

''What do you mean?'' Inquired the prodigy.

''That you think you are a burden to all of us. You don't believe that, right?'' Said Yugao.

''What does it matter what I think? I can't do anything about it even if it's true or false.'' Said Kurotsuchi with a frown.

''It matters because it was clearly bothering you'' Insisted the ANBU. She didn't dislike Kurotsuchi, the girl wasn't so bad even if she was from Iwa. Yea the tomboy could be a bit annoying sometimes, but nothing that she couldn't handle. ''I helped you back there because I wanted to. Even after knowing that you think I consider you a burden? You think you are a burden to Naruto?''

Kurotsuchi didn't know how to answer that. Naruto had already told her that he considered her precious to him, so she already knew that he didn't hang out with her out of obligation. But she still wondered if she was extra baggage that he had to deal with. One could be precious to someone and still be a burden. She hated being a prisoner! Not only did it denigrate her, but it also made things difficult for the people she befriended here. Even Yugao who she previously tried to kill in the Land of Rivers came to help her. That thought just made her feel like the biggest scumbag ever.

Yugao sighed again when she noticed that Kurotsuchi still seemed full of doubt. She hoped that the boy's comments didn't get to her too much.

In just a few more minutes they were at Kurotsuchi's apartment building. Now that they had arrived at their destination, Yugao turned once more to her young companion. ''Here we are. I don't think you need me to escort you to your door, do you?''

''Very funny'' Said Kurotsuchi, clearly unamused.

''At least Naruto seems to be asleep, so he should not bother you when you try to rest'' Joked the ANBU, noticing that all the lights in Naruto's apartment were off.

''He probably wouldn't even if he wasn't, either way. We kinda had a fight'' Informed the tomboy.

''You guys fought? About what?'' Asked Yugao with a frown.

''Something stupid, really. Now I just feel silly about it.'' Said Kurotsuchi. Despite what she said she was still a bit angry at the blond. But in hindsight, she herself had been a bit overdramatic and shouldn't have let the Yondaime issue escalate the way it did.

''I'm sorry to hear it. But all I can say is try to get a good night's rest. Tomorrow you can sort your issues out'' Said Yugao.

''Sounds like a good idea. I better get some sleep.'' Said Kurotsuchi as she started going up the stairs of the apartment building.

Yugao had already started going on her way when she was called back.

''Yugao''

The ANBU stopped in her tracks to turn around and look at Kurotsuchi, who was still in standing on the steps of the staircase.

''Thanks again for before'' Said the grateful Kurotsuchi.

''No problem, kiddo'' Said the older woman with a grin before she turned away again to go on her way.

Once the older woman was gone, Kurotsuchi went into her apartment. She just took off her weapons pouch, flak jacket, and her sandals before she got to bed, not even bothering to change into her pajamas. The encounter with that creepy boy was still fresh in her mind, and as much as she hated to admit it he did a pretty good job in stirring her insecurities. She hoped that she never saw the guy again, but whoever he was, he had been pretty well informed about her and realizing that made her feel too uneasy to sleep properly.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Finally! I'm so so sorry guys! This took longer than I anticipated. You see, I decided to go back to my previous chapters to look for grammatical errors, this has been the most arduous search for errors I have made. The problem was that going through the same chapters over and over and over again tired me out, and I don't want to say that it kinda made me sick of the fic...but it did kinda made me sick of the fic for a while. But after getting into RWBY(I'm pleasantly surprised at how good it turned to be) and watching all episodes I feel fresh to resume my writing. So don't worry, I didn't quit writing this story, I just took a small break but now I'm back.**

 **And as always, please review or PM me if you have the chance and you want to!**


	19. Chapter 19: Insecurities

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 19: Insecurities

-Konoha's Streets-

Naruto wasn't in the best of moods. He had been looking everywhere to see if any of his friends could come with him on his mission, and just like yesterday, all his efforts had been a failure. And unlike the day before he wasn't being accompanied by Kurotsuchi or Yugao, and looking by himself was far more boring. He frowned with melancholy at being reminded of the pink-eyed girl. Last time he saw her he made her angry and he had yet to go and apologize as he didn't know what to say to her. She had been pretty mad and he was afraid that he would only make the situation worse if he didn't properly word his regrets.

The Jinchuuriki turned the corner of yet another building, hoping that maybe, this time, he would find someone. He groaned in disappointment when he couldn't spot anyone he knew, again. In fact, he didn't see anyone at all, it was an empty street. Not surprising since that particular area of Konoha was very old and run down so not many people lived there anymore. He was debating on where to go now since he had looked almost everywhere, when suddenly, he heard something approaching him from behind, and fast. He turned around and stared in shock as a large white and black tiger leaped at him with his fangs bared. The tiger landed on the blond and with a mighty bite he took a good chunk of the boy's torso, only for the wounded boy to disappear and a splintered log took his place.

The beast didn't even have time to search for the Jinchuuriki as a Fuma Shuriken sliced it in half and the bizarre animal dissolved into a black substance.

Naruto landed on the ground from the rooftop he had just been standing and proceeded to retrieve the Fuma Shuriken he had previously thrown.

 _''That was a close one!''_ He just barely managed to pull off a Kawarimi(Substitution) with how fast the tiger showed up. He examined his weapon and wondered what was the stuff that the creature had turned into when he slew it. He used two fingers to wipe a bit of the dark stuff clinging to the blades of the Fuma Shuriken. _''Is this ink?''_ Thought Naruto as he inspected the liquid.

However, he couldn't think on it too much when he noticed several tigers just like the last one rushing at him from the other side of the street. But now that he had his guard up he wasn't going to let them get the drop on him again. He brought his hands together to make the hand seal for the Shadow Clone Technique, and around the blond appeared numerous copies of himself. The doppelgangers got to work as soon as they came into existence and gathered in pairs to form Rasengans. When the beasts had almost reached them, the clones lunged at the fake animals with their Chakra spheres. The Rasengans clashed with the tigers and tore them to shreds, splattering the surrounding buildings with ink.

With that threat taken care of, Naruto hastily started looking around the vicinity. Since someone had to be making these creatures, whoever it was couldn't be far. It just took him a few seconds to notice a guy sitting on the roof of one of the far off buildings. The boy was very pale and had an open scroll on his lap. Naruto guessed that he had to be the one responsible for these attacks, and along with his clones, he rushed at the pale boy to make him answer for this unprovoked assault.

The strange young man saw that Naruto finally noticed his presence. Took him long enough. He took his brush and scribbled on his scroll with impressive speed, then he made a single hand seal ''Ninpo: Choju Giga(Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing)'' With that action, several black and white wolves materialized from the paper in the scroll before sending them after the blonds.

Naruto saw the ink canines approaching him fast, and in response, he rapidly made a few more clones who he sent to keep the wolves busy.

The doppelgangers and the ink creatures met violently in the middle of the street as clones and beasts were being destroyed left and right, covering the area in smoke and black ink.

With all obstacles out of the way, Naruto didn't have any more trouble to reach the roof of the building where the white-skinned boy was.

The boy saw Naruto coming, so he put away his scroll immediately and pulled out the tanto on his back which he used to parry a Kunai slash from naruto.

The Jichuuriki kept pushing against the weapon of his attacker to keep him in place. ''Who the hell are you and why are you attacking me?!''

The only response of the young man was to throw a kick towards the Genin, but Naruto stepped back, avoiding the blow all the while being careful to not fall off the roof. But the pale guy quickly closed the distance between them again and started slashing with his blade. Naruto managed to parry the blows but the guy was relentless, as soon as he blocked one slash he was already having to block another from a different angle. Finally, they were at a standstill with each weapon pushing back against the other once again.

''Is that all you got? You are weaker than I thought'' Said the pale man with an emotionless smile.

''Then what about this?!'' Yelled a clone that had managed to sneak behind the weird guy, hitting him in the back with the blunt side of a Kunai only for the stranger to explode into ink, covering both Naruto and his clone in it.

''Ack! is in my mouth!'' Complained the blond as he spat the disgusting liquid, with his copy mimicking his action before they started glancing around with urgency. ''Where did that bastard go?!''

''There he is!'' Said the clone as he pointed towards the roof of the neighboring house, and just like the clone said, the white-skinned teenager was standing there impassively.

''What is your fucking problem?!'' Yelled the enraged Naruto. He had noticed the Konoha forehead protector on the guy, so at the very least he knew that he wasn't from another village. But he couldn't imagine why a comrade from Konoha would attack him just because.

The weird guy had a thoughtful expression as he looked at the Jinchuuriki. ''Your skill leaves much to be desired. I wouldn't be surprised if the Iwa prisoner is better than you are.'' Said the young man, completely ignoring Naruto's question.

''You mean Kurotsuchi? What does she have to do with this?!'' The blond demanded to know.

''I met her last night. She seems competent, unlike you. Someone as weak as you are shouldn't be guarding a dangerous prisoner like her. She should be in a cell, for everyone's security'' Said the mysterious boy. It seemed that what Danzo-Sama had said was true, it was way too dangerous to rely on Naruto to keep the foreigner in check. He guessed that it was just one more reason to ensure the success of his mission. Even if he had never fought the Kunoichi, with their intel he knew that she was a Jounin, a possible candidate for Tsuchikage, had a Kekkei Genkai, and was revered as a prodigy. It was too risky for the village to depend on Naruto to control her.

Naruto narrowed his eyes coldly at the pale boy. ''Say what? If you did anything to her I swear I'll-''

''That's all for now. We'll meet again at a later time'' Interrupted the young man before he made a single hand seal and vanished in a Body Flicker.

Naruto groaned in anger as he looked around, making sure that his attacker had really left. And once he was done, he hastily started rushing in the direction of his apartment building. He needed to see immediately if Kurotsuchi was fine. If what that bastard said was true and he did meet Kurotsuchi, there was no telling of what he could have done to her if the guy was already prone to attacking unprovoked. And since Naruto hadn't seen the Iwa Kunoichi since the day before, he had no way of knowing if she was okay. She was probably still angry at him for yesterday but he didn't care, her security was too important to be worrying about what she might say or do to him if she was upset.

In his hurry, he arrived at his apartment building in a few minutes. As soon as he got there he ran up the stone staircase and knocked on Kurotsuchi's door as soon as he reached it. He fidgeted impatiently for several seconds until the door opened to reveal Kurotsuchi's face through the gap.

''Naruto? I didn't think you'd be coming today'' Said the surprised girl. Last time they saw each other she told him to leave her alone for a while, and even if she wasn't angry anymore she presumed that the blond had taken her threat seriously since he hadn't come to visit all day. ''What's the matter?'' Asked Kurotsuchi when she noticed that the Jinchuuriki looked disturbed and his clothes were covered in black ink.

''Kurotsuchi, are you okay?! You are not hurt or anything like that?!'' Asked the altered blond.

''I'm fine...Why wouldn't I be?'' Inquired the tomboy with a raised eyebrow.

''You see, I was walking on the street minding my own business when this crazy guy showed up with ink animals, I fought him and he told me that he saw you and since I didn't know if you were still angry with me I didn't know want to risk it so I thought that- mmph!'' Naruto's ramblings were silenced when Kurotsuchi put a hand over his mouth.

''Calm down. I didn't catch anything of that'' Said the girl. ''Why don't you come in and then you can take your time explaining to me...whatever the hell you said?''

Naruto nodded dumbly in affirmation, which made Kurotsuchi take her hand off his mouth. ''So...uh can I come in then?'' Mumbled the Genin.

''I just said you could, didn't I? And you pay for the place so you are in your right'' Said Kurotsuchi as she stood aside with the door open.

''Right. Thanks for inviting me in'' Said the blond as he stepped into her apartment and the tomboy closed the door behind him.

Naruto felt a bit weird being in Kurotsuchi's temporary home as it was the first time actually entering the place, since most times they met at his own apartment.

''You are acting odd today'' Noted the tomboy as she took a seat on the sofa beside the coffee table.

''It's just that...Is my first time being here and all. Also, I didn't know if you wanted to see me after what happened yesterday'' Explained the boy.

''You mean what we talked about the Yondaime?'' Inquired the pink-eyed young woman. So that's why Naruto was acting so mellow.

''Yea, I wanted to tell you how sorry I am about that. It was very inconsiderate of me saying the things I said'' Said Naruto.

''Yes it was. But don't stress over it, I'm not angry anymore. It's okay'' Reassured the girl.

''Not it's not okay'' Replied the Jinchuuriki as he started pacing the room back and forth. ''It was very stupid of me. I always heard about all the heroic deeds that the Yondaime did for us, but I never thought about the other side of the story. I never stopped to think that for every battle that the Yondaime helped us win there had to be someone hurt. For every Konoha life he saved when he killed an enemy he was also stripping away someone else's loved one. I was naive to not reflect on that until now.''

Kurotsuchi was glad that Naruto was now realizing that his precious Yondaime wasn't the saint he pictured to be, but she still thought that the blond was going overboard with the apology. ''Naruto seriously, I get it. I forgive you now, so don't worry about it more than you need to. But I do appreciate your concern'' Said the tomboy with a heartfelt smile.

Naruto returned her smile with one of his own. He was glad that they had managed to settle that dispute relatively easily; he really hated when they fought. After a moment, a look of realization hit the Jinchuuriki as he remembered why he came in the first place. ''Wait, I haven't told you what happened!''

''Oh yeah, that's right. Something about some guy you said?'' Kurotsuchi pointed out.

Naruto nodded at the girl before he started elaborating on his story. ''Earlier on the street, I was attacked by some guy I had never seen before. We fought and he ran away, but before he did he said that he met you last night. I came here as fast as I could to make sure he hadn't attacked you too''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that. ''Wait a minute! Was that guy by any chance a pale-skinned smiling weirdo that dressed like a faggot?''

''Yea that's him'' Said Naruto. He wasn't sure about the 'faggot' part but he guessed that the boy did dress strangely, a bare stomach was a weird style choice for a guy. ''He didn't hurt you, did he?''

''No, he just said some things to me. Annoying stuff, but he didn't lay a hand on me'' Explained the pink-eyed girl as her look devolved into one of gloom. Being reminded of the nasty things the bastard had said put her in a sour mood, especially when they had some truth to them.

Naruto sighed in relief at hearing that she was unharmed. ''Man, I rushed here for nothing, but I'm glad you are okay. I was so worried that he might have assaulted you like he did to me or something like that.''

Kurotsuchi frowned as her hands balled into fists. Just like that pale-skinned prick had said, since she couldn't defend herself while she was here she had to depend on Naruto to help her at every turn, just as she had to do for even the most minuscule of things. She couldn't even get food or new clothes without bothering him. Could she be more useless?! She couldn't do anything by herself and her friend had to clean up any mess that was made when it concerned her. Was this how every day was going to be? Was she going to be a pet to be taken care of for the rest of her life?! What about Naruto's life? Was he going to keep doing that until either one of them died? One day he would probably get married and have children, and what then? Was she going to be an extra responsibility for him on top the ones to his family? She was destined to watch all that as she herself grew old and never accomplished her own dreams. How could she keep her pride when she was forever destined to be a liability to one of the only friends she had in here? He might even get tired of all this one day and could let her go back to her cell.

''Kurotsuchi, what's wrong?'' Asked Naruto when he saw that she had started shaking as she frowned in discontent.

''Nothing. Don't worry about me, you already do that enough'' Said the girl with a stern voice as she avoided eye contact. It was obvious even to Naruto that she was not fine, far from it.

Naruto looked at the girl with concern as he walked towards her and sat at her side on the sofa. ''Hey, you know you can tell me if something is bothering you. I'm here for you if you need anything'' Said the blond as he put a hand on the girl's shoulder.

''That's exactly it!'' Said the exalted Kunoichi as she shook off Naruto's touch. ''You are always here for me, you have to be!''

Naruto was startled by the tomboy's outburst, this was just so sudden. ''What the- Where is all this coming from?''

''I've been thinking lately, and I realized that my lack of independence hurts not only me but it also hurts you! You have to take care of me for everything, I can't do anything on my own! I'll be your responsibility for the rest of our lives, doesn't that bother you? Because it sure as hell bothers me!'' Said the girl.

''Wow, wait! First of all, You aren't going to stay here forever. I already promised you that I'll find a way to eventually get you back to Iwa, and you know that I never go back on my word. I'll find a way, I swear I'll do.'' Said Naruto only for the girl to snort in disbelief. ''And second, if me helping you makes you feel uncomfortable, then you can see it as a favor that you can make up to me later''

''Ahh so that's why you helped me in the first place?! You got me out of that cell so I can owe you forever or something?!'' Asked the upset girl.

''What?! Of course not, that's ridiculous!'' Said Naruto, feeling offended that the girl would even think that even after all they've been through.

''Then why did you do it, uh? You didn't even know me that well back then. We weren't even friends, so why would you have cared if it wasn't for that?!'' Kurotsuchi demanded to know.

''Because you are an amazing person and Kunoichi!'' Replied Naruto.

That made Kurotsuchi go silent as she looked in shock at the boy in front of her.

''I knew even back then that you had a good kind heart, I've seen your good nature despite how you try to hide it. I couldn't have lived with myself if I left a good girl like you to that terrible fate. '' Said the blond.

Kurotsuchi didn't know how to respond to that, she didn't consider herself very kind. A proper shinobi was ruthless and she tried her best to act the part, but hearing that Naruto thought of her as a good person and ninja made her feel flustered. Now that she thought about it, it did make sense that the blond helped her just because of that, considering his gentle demeanor. However, that still didn't change the fact that she was a burden. ''You say that, but I don't think you knew or wanted such huge responsibility. I feel like I'm a nuisance that has you trapped with me in my hopeless plight.'' Said Kurotsuchi with sad glazed eyes.

''Don't say that! I don't want you thinking like that'' Said Naruto, getting up from his seat to crouch in front of the girl, putting his hands on her shoulders, urging her to look him in the eyes. ''Everybody needs help from time to time, there is no shame in it. It's true, at first I didn't know the kind of responsibility I was taking, but you know what? I don't care, not even a little bit''

''How can you not care? I find that hard to believe'' Said Kurotsuchi. She knew that Naruto was noble, but even he had to have boundaries.

Naruto looked at the girl keenly and gave her a warm smile. ''You see, I know we have our differences and there a lot of stuff we don't agree on, we even fight a lot of times over them, but I enjoy spending time with you just the same. I enjoy learning more about you, sharing our thoughts, or just hanging out. That's why I don't mind helping you; because I cherish your presence, your friendship, those things are so important to me that any 'trouble' that you think you give me is insignificant in comparison. I want you to remember that I'll always be your friend, and I'll always be by your side, helping you if you ever need me, not because I have to, but because I care''

Kurotsuchi stared at Naruto with wide teary eyes. She hadn't expected the boy to value her like that. And here she was stupidly thinking that he might have aided her to get something in return, it made her feel guilty.

Naruto got worried when he saw Kurotsuchi direct her gaze downwards, shadowing her face as she started trembling again. He wondered if he had said something wrong before the tomboy abruptly enveloped him into a hug as she rested her head on his shoulder. This action stunned the blond momentarily as he didn't know how to react to this.

Kurotsuchi bit her lower lip as tears threatened to spill from her pink eyes, which made her grateful that the blond couldn't see her face right now. Naruto had to be the best friend someone could ask for. No one aside from her father had ever treated her with such gentleness the way that the boy in her arms had done. She had acted like a bitch to him in the past and still sometimes did, and he still treated her with care, loyalty, and tenderness. She tightened her grip on Naruto and pressed her body against his even more, trying to convey through actions, instead of speech, how grateful she was to have him. For she knew that if she tried to talk right now, her voice would just break into sobs.

Naruto side glanced fondly at the girl's head on his shoulder. He hadn't expected Kurotsuchi to act like this, but he was glad nonetheless that he could provide any amount of comfort to her. He did what his instinct told him was right and put his arms around her, returning the hug.

Both teenagers remained like that for a few minutes, not making any sound to avoid ruining the moment as they relished in their mutual contact. Feeling the warmth of each others body made them feel fuzzy on the inside, though no one paid any mind to what that might mean.

''You know, Naruto, you got a way with words sometimes'' Said Kurotsuchi finally pulling apart from the hug before she rubbed her face to clear the moist in her eyes.

''Well, I do try to make up for the silly stuff I say from time to time'' Replied the blond.

''Just sometimes?'' Kurotsuchi couldn't help herself from teasing. By this point, she teasing Naruto was just another way of her to show him affection.

''Okay, a lot of times'' Admitted the Jinchuuriki. ''It still doesn't stop me from being amazing''

''I know'' Conceded the girl, figuring that he earned his praise this time. ''Naruto, I'm sorry about my previous rant. I shouldn't have let those stupid thoughts get the best of me'' Said the girl with a solemn face.

''It's all good, it happens to all of us'' Reassured Naruto. ''But next time something similar happens, let me know. You aren't alone, not as long as I'm alive''

Kurotsuchi smiled sweetly at the Jinchuuriki. ''The same goes for you. Friendship is a two-way street. You help me, so let me help you if you ever need it''

''Will do! Dattebayo!'' Replied Naruto with a toothy grin.

''Then, I'll guess whatever hardships we face in the future, we'll deal with them together'' Declared the tomboy with an extended fist.

''Of course! Two is better than one after all'' Said Naruto as he put his hand on top the girl's, showing his commitment.

''So, this means you are coming with us to Grass Country?'' Inquired Naruto.

''Do you even have to ask? You can be goddamn sure I'm coming'' Answered the pink-eyed girl. ''So whoever that spy is, he better prepare himself because we are coming for his ass''

Naruto responded her with a grin filled with determination, and Kurotsuchi gave him one of her own.

''Just one more thing. There is something that has been bugging me'' Said Naruto, which made Kurotsuchi tilt her head at that. ''I could be wrong, but, isn't that Kakashi-Sensei's book?'' Asked the blond as he pointed at an orange book sitting on the kitchen counter at the other side of the room.

Kurotsuchi's face bleached, she had completely forgotten that she left the damn thing there. ''Y-Yea it is, b-but that's because he forgot his book when we were in Suna. I've been meaning to return it to him but I forgot.'' Said the girl trying to mask her nervousness.

''Oh I see. What a relief, for a second there I thought that you had read that and became a pervert or something'' Said Naruto as he put his hands behind his head in a relaxed manner.

''So you think that if I were to read it it would make me a pervert?'' Questioned the tomboy with a nervous tick on her eye as she got irritated.

''Well, yeah. But you didn't read it, right? No problem there'' Said Naruto casually.

''Then, you do think that if I read it and enjoyed, you would automatically label me a pervert. Is that what you are saying?'' Asked Kurotsuuchi once again with an irritated scowl.

''Everyone I know that reads that book is a huge pervert. I think is a safe guess to say that only perverts like it'' Said Naruto, wondering why Kurotsuchi seemed to take offense if she said she didn't read it.

''Maybe you ought to read it yourself to see if what you suspect is true'' Responded the girl, trying to keep herself from getting angry.

''I have read a little bit, and I can tell it's filth'' Said Naruto.

''You should be a bit more open-minded, perhaps give it another chance, idiot'' Said the tomboy.

And so, the teenagers continued arguing for a good portion of the day. However, there was no malice in their dispute, since both Naruto and Kurotsuchi knew that even if their weird relationship wasn't perfect, their friendship had never been stronger than it was at that moment.

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade sat on a couch in one of the many rooms of the Hokage Tower. This particular room was usually used to hold meetings between important people in the village. Behind Tsunade stood Shizune, and in front of the Hokage were Homura and Koharu sitting on another couch, facing her. The elderly advisors had requested a private audience with the female Sannin and were about to start their conversation.

''You said you wanted to have a word with me, I'm all ears then'' Said Tsunade with impatience. Whenever these two wanted to talk with her it usually meant that a headache was coming.

''We wanted to discuss some things that have us troubled'' Homura started. ''It concerns Naruto''

''And the Iwa prisoner'' Added Koharu.

Tsunade rolled her eyes, already suspecting what they were going to say to her. ''This is about the Suna mission, isn't it'' She already knew that it was only a matter of time before the old fossils came complaining about that.

''That's part of out concerns, yes'' Said the old lady.

''But we would like to discuss Naruto first'' Said Homura. ''We want you to refrain from sending him on missions that have a chance of encountering the Akatsuki. In fact, we want you to lower the number of missions that he goes to''

''Request denied'' Said Tsunade simply. She wasn't about to treat her grandson figure like a caged animal.

''Listen to reason, Tsunade'' Said the old man. ''We understand that you are close to the boy, but you are the Hokage, you shouldn't be displaying such favoritism. He is a Jinchuuriki, normally we wouldn't even let him go outside the village. He has plenty of freedom as it is''

''Please lady Tsunade, I ask you to listen to the elders'' Said Shizune, for the first time entering the conversation. ''We shouldn't be risking Naruto's safety when the Akatsuki are after him. He should stay in the village as much as possible where we can protect him''

Tsunade stared at Shizune with a strict look. This wasn't the first time that Shizune had asked her to keep Naruto out of missions for a while. The Sannin was starting to think that her apprentice had been the one to ask Homura and Koharu to talk to her about this in the first place. ''I'm still not doing that. This choice I'm taking is done precisely to help Naruto. If he stays on the move he will be harder to track down for the Akatsuki. You already saw what happened in Suna, if they could infiltrate a village and capture their Kage, they can infiltrate us and kidnap Naruto even easier''

''There is really no way for us to change our mind?'' Asked Homura.

''I told you, I already made my choice on this matter'' Repeated Tsunade.

''Very well'' Said the old man with a sigh. ''At the very least I ask you to make his team larger to raise security around him''

''I already worked on it'' Said Tsunade. ''I tasked Team Seven in finding another member for their team, and even if they can't, I already have someone in mind to go with them''

''We already heard that you are planning to send the Iwa prisoner if they don't find another member'' Said Homura.

''Which makes this a good time to address the issue we mentioned earlier'' Said Koharu. ''Tsunade, you can't keep sending that girl with Team Seven just because Naruto vouches for her''

''She is an enemy Kunoichi, and a skilled one at that. We can't risk her escaping or hurting any of our Shinobi'' Added Homura. ''She is already privileged to not be locked in a cell, she doesn't need even more leniency''

''I have a good reason for that. I have realized that the girl is loyal to Naruto, keeping them together makes her more manageable'' Said Tsunade, using Kakashi's previous observation to her advantage.

''We can't depend on only that to keep her in line, that's too unreliable'' Insisted Koharu. ''She might listen to him now but there is no telling if she will continue to do so''

''Which is why we took it unto ourselves to find a solution'' Said Homura. ''We found a member for Team Seven that we are satisfied with''

''Danzo offered us one of his men to add to Naruto's team. He assures us that the boy is skilled and reliable, and not to mention, efficient. He will be a much better fit for Team Seven than some enemy foreigner'' Said the old lady.

''No chance I'm agreeing to that!'' Said Tsunade, outraged that these two had gone behind her back to get a member themselves and from Danzo no less. ''You don't want the girl going because you can't trust her, but one of Danzo's subordinates is supposed to be better? At least I know that the girl listens to Naruto, whoever that boy is will listen only to Danzo. One can't ever know what the old hawk is plotting, having one of his ninja loose is unpredictable''

''Then it appears we have a problem. We simply can't let the enemy outside the village and risk her escaping'' Said Homura.

''The problem is yours, not mine'' Said Tsunade with a grimace. ''I get to decide what goes and what doesn't, so if you have a problem, you'll just have to deal with it''

''Tsunade, we don't agree on most things, we never have, but we do usually respect your choices as Hokage and we are always ready to give our advice'' Said Koharu sternly. ''But this time, we must insist''

''You may have the final say, but we can also make inconveniences for that girl. We can force her out of the team if you don't listen to reason'' Said Homura with a hard look on his face.

Tsunade slammed her foot on the floor, cracking it slightly as she stared enraged at the elders in front of her. ''You dare make threats to me?!''

Shizune could tell that the situation was getting out of hand, so she decided to intervene to mediate. ''Please let's all calm down, I have an idea!'' Said the raven-haired medic, which caught the attention of everyone in the room. The woman gulped, feeling the pressure of having everyone looking at her. ''Why don't we just send both of them?''

Tsunade, Homura, and Koharu looked at Shizune in disbelief. ''What?'' Asked all of them at the same time.

''Tsunade-Sama, you don't trust one of Danzo's subordinates, right? But I feel that we should give him a chance, we'll never know until we see how he works with Naruto and the rest, and in turn, they may help us to see if he is trustworthy or not. Who knows, he might end up being a good addition to Team Seven'' Said Shizune before she turned to the elders. ''And I know you don't want to risk Kurotsuchi pulling something off when she is out of the village, fair enough, but she will be guarded not only by Naruto, Kakashi, and Sakura but also by one of our best ANBU, I think we are safe in that regard. But if you still feel unsure about this, you can have your Shinobi keep an eye on her and inform you of the dynamics of Kurotsuchi and the team. This way we make Team Seven bigger, and in turn, we increase the security around Naruto. See? Everyone wins''

The rest of the room's occupants glanced at each other silently, trying to see if someone had anything against the idea.

Homura and Koharu nodded to each other, having made up their mind. It wasn't what they would have hoped, but this way at least both parties had to make a compromise, which was fair.

''It is not an ideal solution, but I suppose that we can agree to those terms'' Said Homura.

''I would rather not have anything to do with one of Danzo's subordinates, but all right, we'll see if the boy is any good'' Said Tsunade before she addressed the two elders again. ''But I'm informing you, at the first complaint I hear from Kakashi regarding the guy I'm kicking him out of the team''

''Fine, we have faith in our choice'' Said Koharu.

''Good, so we have an agreement'' Declared Tsunade. ''Then I guess this little get together is over''

''I imagine it is'' Said Homura as he and Koharu stood up.

Shizune gave a sigh of relief, glad that everything got settled without any more complications.

-Konoha's Streets-

In the outskirts of the village, almost at the gates of Konoha, Kakashi stood in front of his team, which consisted of Naruto, Sakura, Kurotsuchi, and Yugao.

''All right, I trust that everyone is ready to start our mission'' Said Kakashi. ''You guys got everything you need?''

''I already packed all my ninja and medical supplies since last night. I'm all set'' Said Sakura.

''Same here, all good!'' Said the eager Naruto.

''As ready as ever. A good Kunoichi is always ready to start at a moment's notice'' Boasted Kurotsuchi.

''I'm good'' Said a gloomy Yugao. Just as she had dreaded, she had been sent to watch over Kurotsuchi. Again.

''Are you okay, Yugao-San? You seem a bit down'' Asked the copy ninja.

''I don't know what you are talking about, Kakashi-Senpai'' Responded the ANBU with the same dejected tone of voice.

''Come on Yugao, cheer up! We are going to kick ass in our mission! Just you wait'' Said Kurotsuchi with a confident smile.

''Totally! We are so going to finish this with flying colors and get information on Orochimaru and Sasuke!'' Added Naruto with the same disposition as his Iwa friend.

''I'm glad to see you both so enthusiastic today, especially you Kurotsuchi'' Said Kakashi with an eye-smile.

Yugao eyed the duo with curiosity. Both teenagers have been unusually chipper today, she wondered if something had happened between them.

''Then what are we waiting for?! Let's go!'' Said Naruto with impatience.

''Not so fast, Naruto. We are still waiting for someone else'' Informed the cyclops.

''Uh? Someone else? But we didn't find anyone to come with us'' Inquired the confused Jinchuuriki.

Sakura and Kurotsuchi also wondered who could it be, they haven't heard anything about an extra member until now.

''He was assigned to us by the Hokage and the elders'' Explained Kakashi. ''And in fact, I think he just arrived'' Said the copy ninja as he and Yugao looked to the side, having already felt the boy's presence.

Suddenly, a familiar face to Naruto, Kurotsuchi, and Yugao, appeared in a body flicker beside them.

''Hello there'' Said the pale boy with an emotionless smile.

''You!'' Yelled Naruto and Kurotsuchi as they pointed at the newcomer with indignation.

''Wait, you guys know him?'' Asked Sakura.

''Oh I know him all right! This freak cornered me yesterday in a dark street to insult and taunt me!'' Said the enraged tomboy.

''The bastard also attacked me for no reason at all!'' Said Naruto with a raised fist.

Sakura frowned at the pale boy with disgust. He did sound like a creep.

Even Yugao was staring coldly at the weird young man.

''There appears to be some tension already'' Kakashi joked as he scratched the back of his head. ''Nonetheless, we are a team now, so I expect you all to play nice with each other'' Said Kakashi as he looked intently at the new member of to emphasize his last point.

''Of course'' Said the smiling boy, seemingly not bothered at all by Naruto and Kurotsuchi glaring daggers at him.

''I think that introductions are in order. Why don't you start?'' Said Kakashi as he looked at the white-skinned Shinobi, prompting him to talk.

''Greetings everyone, I'm Sai. Pleased to meet you'' Said the now identified Sai with his ever present emotionless smile.

''I'm Sakura. Nice to meet you'' Said Sakura with cordiality despite not knowing what to make of the new guy just yet.

''I'm Naruto'' Said Naruto with a frown, none too happy to talk to the jerk.

''Kurotsuchi'' Replied the Iwa Kunoichi with a dangerous gleam in her pink eyes.

''Yugao'' Said Yugao sternly.

Kakashi looked at the group with a deadpan expression, knowing that it was going to be hard to get everyone to get along. ''Okay...Since the introductions are over we better get going''

The group nodded obediently and they all started going on their way out of the village.

As they walked, Yugao approached Sai and caught the young man's attention.

''You listen to me, if you do anything similar to what you did last night I'm going to break your legs. I don't care that you are from ROOT, I won't tolerate you causing trouble'' Threatened the purple-haired woman.

For a split second, Sai actually widened his eyes in surprise before his smile returned. ''So you know about me being in ROOT. Don't worry, I was just following orders at that time. If anything, I'm honored to be working with a fellow ANBU''

''Don't even dare compare us. We are nothing alike'' Said Yugao with a snort, offended to be put in the same category as the emotionless machines that were ROOT ANBU. Having said everything she wanted to say, she returned to Kurotsuchi's side as she ignored the curious gaze from Sai.

''I can't believe that Tsunade-Baachan assigned that asshole to our team'' Murmured Naruto as he glanced back to see Sai looking at the blond as he waved his arm to him without a care.

''I just hope that he keeps his stupid mouth shut'' Responded Kurotsuchi. ''Considering that I'm not allowed to put him in his place if he starts bothering me, it drives me crazy''

''Well, if he does start bothering you I'll kick his ass, you know that I got your back'' Reassured Naruto.

''I know you do'' Said the tomboy with a grateful smile. ''Anyway, we should be focusing on our mission and ignore the faggot for the time being''

''You are right, we can't screw this up and lose our only source of information on Orochimaru'' Said the blond. It was imperative that they found out where the snake was and fast. There were only a few months left before Orochimaru took Sasuke's body and they didn't have any leads yet.

Kurotsuchi noted the worry on Naruto's face and she could guess what was troubling him. She already knew that the Jinchuuriki desperately wanted to get the Uchiha back since he had been his best friend, and considering how much Naruto valued his precious people it was no surprise that he was so desperate to save the last Uchiha . ''Don't worry, Naruto, we'll get your friend back from that traitorous snake. We have faced tougher situations before, so as long as we work together we should be able to come on top'' Said the pink-eyed girl.

''Thanks, I guess that we really have accomplished quite a lot already. We'll just have to keep doing it'' Said Naruto as he and Kurotsuchi gave each other resolute smiles.

Meanwhile, Yugao looked at the duo with exasperation as she let out a sigh. She cursed her luck, not only had she unofficially become a glorified babysitter for Kurotsuchi, and not only was she going to be putting up with a pale weirdo with non-existent social skills, but she also had to deal with two stupid teenagers that were too oblivious to realize that they were developing feelings between them. At least she hoped that this mission went smoothly for a change...

-Sunagakure-

Deidara was bored. Today was the day that Suna would finally decide what to do with him, damn Kazekage had taken his sweet time recovering before he passed judgment, and the only thing left for the mad bomber to do now was to wait until one of the ANBU came to the T&I building to take him away, which was why Deidara was laying on the bed of his cell with a leg over the other in a relaxed manner until someone came for him.

''Man, what is taking these guys so long? Maybe they are trying to drive me insane from the anxiety or something, un'' Complained the crazy terrorist. If they were going to kill him, fine, he had already made up his mind that he was doomed, but keeping him in suspense was starting to piss him off.

At that moment, the door of the corridor was opened to reveal a Suna ANBU at the other side.

Deidara straightened his body as he sat on the bed, looking at the man with a sneer. ''So one of you assholes finally decided to show up. I was wondering if you had forgotten about-'' The mad bomber shut up when he saw the ANBU drop to the ground like a rag doll with a Kunai stuck on the back of his head. _''What the fuck?''_ Deidara had no idea what was happening, that was until a familiar figure with an orange mask stepped through the door and walked over the dead ninja.

''Hi Deidara-Senpai!'' Said Tobi with glee as he waved amicably at the blond at the other side of the metal bars.

''Tobi? What are you doing here?!'' Asked the former Iwa Shinobi.

''Why, rescuing Senpai of course!'' Declared Tobi cheerfully. ''Sasori-Senpai is dead, sadly. But that left a spot open and now I'm a member of Akatsuki! So that makes us partners, and I can't leave my partner imprisoned, can I?!''

''But-But how did you even get here?!'' Inquired Deidara. Tobi was a happy-go-lucky moron that usually hung out with the bomber and the rest of the Akatsuki, begging them to make him a member. But due to his silly antics and the fact that he was a weakling they just ignored him. How the hell did he even managed to infiltrate Suna and kill the guards of the prison?

''Silly Senpai! Tobi has his ways, don't worry about a thing!'' Boasted the masked man as he victoriously put his hands on his hips. ''But first, let's get you out of there'' Said Tobi as he pulled out a key from his cloak, which he presumably took from the dead ANBU, before he approached the cell and opened it. ''There you go! Rejoice, Senpai you are free!''

''Yay, that's great and all, but how do you propose we get out of here? We can't exactly go out the main door and try to sneak out of the village, we would be discovered in no time'' Said the blond.

''Of course not, Deidara-Senpai! We'll leave the same way I came in! Which is why I had to kill everyone in the building. I can't have anyone seeing what I can do just yet, at least no one that can tell the tale'' Said Tobi as he laughed at his own stupid joke.

Deidara looked at the black-haired man with a dumbfounded expression. He didn't know that Tobi had it in him to kill a bunch of people in cold blood and then laugh it off.

''Anyway, we should get going. Senpai, hold on to me and- Oh wait, that's right! I'm sorry'' Said Tobi apologetically as he scratched the back of his head, seemingly forgetting for a moment that Deidara didn't have arms anymore, which just made the terrorist's eye twitch in annoyance. ''Don't worry, I'll just hold on to you then'' Said the masked man as he put a hand on Deidara's shoulder before they both started being sucked into a space distortion.

''What the fuck is this?! What are you doing, Tobi?!'' Yelled Deidara in panic. This Jutsu was just like the one Hatake had used to take his arm! Deidara struggled to get out of the technique but Tobi didn't let go of him, and in the end, they were completely absorbed by it.

-Unknown Location-

Deidara screamed as he fell from the sky when he suddenly appeared over a clearing in the middle of nowhere. He hit the ground hard before he started looking around him completely perplexed at what had just happened.

After that, Tobi appeared alongside him in the same space distortion from earlier before the cheerful man walked towards Deidara. ''See? I said you that I would get you out of there, Deidara-Senpai!''

Deidara stood up with urgency as he started taking in his new surroundings. Wherever they were now, they definitely weren't anywhere close to Suna if the grass they were standing on and the numerous trees around them were anything to go by. The bomber turned to the black-haired man to get answers. ''Tobi, what the heck did you just do?! And how?!''

''Haha! I told you already, I have my ways!'' Exclaimed the masked man with joy. ''But Deidara-Senpai, you must promise me that you aren't going to say anything about what I just did to anyone, not even the other members''

Deidara snorted at that. What a nonsensical thing to ask. ''Like hell I won't! Here we thought that you were a useless idiot. The others have to know that you can actually pull your weight, un''

''Deidara''

The sudden change in tone in Tobi's tone of voice made Deidara shiver for some reason, and the mad bomber stared at the masked man closely, just to see that his silly demeanor was completely gone.

''I'm warning you, don't become a liability to me, for your own sake'' Said Tobi icily before he stared straight at Deidara's face.

Said blonde widened his eyes when he saw a single red eye glaring at him coldly through the hole in the orange mask. ''What are you?'' Mumbled Deidara, more to himself than anything.

''Well, don't worry about it! Just keep the secret and you should be fine!'' Said Tobi, once again returning to his bright persona. ''We should go looking for Kakuzu-Senpai so we can do something about your arms. Onwards!'' Declared the masked man as he started marching in a random direction.

Deidara just stood still as he stared at Tobi walk away. He had no idea what just had happened, but now it was clear to him that Tobi wasn't who he pretended to be, and that made him nervous.

''Deidara-Senpai, are you coming?!'' Tobi called out with a wave of his hand.

''Yea...'' Replied the terrorist as he started following the mysterious man. One thing was for sure, Deidara wasn't going to ever let his guard down around Tobi ever again.

 **Author's note:**

 **Here you go! I finished this chapter in record speed(almost) to make up for the long wait for the last chapter. Sadly, this one is not as long as the last chapters, but there is no helping it, I didn't have anything else to add to it and I didn't want to get into the Grass Country mission in the same chapter, that would be bad pacing.**

 **Okay, I don't normally do this but I feel that I should address something:** **Last chapter, quite a few people pointed out that Naruto should know about the Yondaime's exploits since he is his idol, and that it didn't make sense for him to not know about how he killed a thousand Iwa Shinobi in the war. And I get where they are coming from, but at the same time we are talking about the same guy(Naruto) that didn't even know the definition of Chakra at the start of the series, so I don't find too far fetched that he wouldn't know a whole lot about the Yondaime. Naruto's admiration for the fourth always struck me that it derived from the image that Naruto had of him that he wanted to accomplish for himself, what I mean by this is that the Yondaime had the love and respect of everyone in Konoha, everyone was always saying how he was one of the strongest Kage ever, and on top of that he was the one to defeat the Kyuubi, which I think that those are reason enough for Naruto to idolize him in the first place. But that is just my opinion, I might be wrong :P**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and if you can please leave a review or PM me if you'd like :)**


	20. Chapter 20: The Calm Before The Storm

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 20: The Calm Before The Storm

''Okay team, we'll be resting here for the night'' Declared Kakashi as he and his team contemplated a small village while they stood at the Torii gate at its entrance.

The village was in the middle of the forest on the border of Grass Country. It looked like its main attraction was being a resting place for travelers going to Kusagakure as a large portion of the buildings were rather large hotels that towered above the surrounding trees. Also, this place was well-known for their thermal waters, and while it was not as renowned for them as the Land of Hot Water was, it was still their major selling point for tourism.

''We have been traveling at full speed almost non-stop for a day and a half. Tenchi Bridge is only half a day away, so we have some spare time'' Kakashi explained to the four teenagers and the ANBU woman. ''This is a good chance to relax and rest. We want to be in our best shape for tomorrow, we don't know what might happen when we meet the spy''

''Sounds like a good idea to me'' Said Yugao serenely, but on the inside, she was jumping with joy at the chance of getting a moment of relaxation that was so rare for her nowadays.

''I'm all up for it. I could use a nice hot bath right now'' Said Sakura. After their long travel, going for a dip in thermal waters seemed like the perfect reward.

''It beats sleeping on the ground, so why not?'' Commented Naruto with his hands behind his head in a casual manner.

''Well, the idea is not unappealing'' Said Kurotsuchi. It was true, it had been a while since she got to enjoy a bath in a hot spring and she rather missed the feeling.

''If our captain thinks this is best, I can only agree with him'' Replied Sai with a smile as always.

''So we all agree. All right then, follow me'' Exclaimed the copy ninja as the group started walking towards the nearest hotel that was the closest to the village entry. They all took the opportunity to glance around the village to get a feel for the place. Around the hotel were what appeared to be restaurants, souvenir stores, and snack stands. This place was obviously heavily focused on catering to tourists. And even though it was nighttime already, one could still see several people walking the streets buying from the nearby shops.

It only took them a few minutes to register on the hotel, and after being assigned their rooms, they proceeded to go further into the large building to look for them and unpack. The rooms were among the many others that were in a wooden hall. All the doors of the rooms were sliding Shoji doors, and after a while, they all found both of their rooms at the end of the corridor, one for the men and one for the women, and were conveniently just across the hall from one another.

''Here are our rooms. Naruto, Sai, and I, will be staying on this one'' Said Kakashi as he pointed at the Shoji door behind him with his thumb. ''You girls will use the other one. While we are split up, you two listen to Yugao-San'' Finished the copy ninja as he looked at Sakura and Kurotsuchi.

''Of course, Kakashi-Sensei'' ''Right'' Responded both girls in unison.

''I guess all that's left to do is unpack. So we'll see you girls later'' Said Kakashi as he went into the men's room, with Sai following silently, and Naruto waved at the girls as he left.

''See you later, Kurotsuchi, Sakura-Chan!'' Said the blond as he followed Kakashi inside.

''Bye, Naruto'' Responded Sakura amicably.

''Until tomorrow, I suppose'' Responded Kurotsuchi with a wave of her own.

''Rest well, boys'' Said Yugao as she too started going into her own room, with Sakura and Kurotsuchi right behind her.

Once the girls were alone in their room, they each took off their sandals before they went to wander around the place to have a good look at it. The hotel room was very traditional, aside from the sliding door, it didn't have beds which meant that they would have to sleep in futons. there was a small table in the middle of the floor that was so short that one would have to sit down on the floor to use it. There was a wooden closet at the end of the room with small drawers on one side, and beside it was a small lamp on the floor. Overall, the room was rather barren but it was comfy enough.

''We'll rest for a little bit, after that we can go and enjoy the hot springs'' Declared Yugao as she took off her weapons pouch and sat down to go through her supplies.

''Fine by me'' Said Kurotsuchi. She knew that Yugao was going to make her go one way or another since the ANBU had to keep an eye on the Iwa prodigy they couldn't split up, and if Yugao wanted to go to the hot springs she would have to take Kurotsuchi too. Not that the tomboy could complain, she could also use a hot bath to unwind.

''I for one, think is pretty nice to have more girls to talk to'' Said Sakura. She was used to being the only girl when she went on missions with her team. It was a welcome change to have more women around in the pinkette's opinion. After that, she directed her attention to the Iwa Kunoichi. Now that she thought about it, she had barely spoken to the girl at all since she met her. She could use this occasion to find more about the spunky girl, who knows, they might get along well. ''What do you think, Kurotsuchi-San?''

''Uhh?'' Said Kurotsuchi dumbly, as she closed a drawer that she had been inspecting to look at Sakura.

''Don't you think is nice to be able to have some girl's time among ourselves? After all, you are always with Naruto, I can only imagine how tiring that must be'' Finished Sakura with a playful giggle. She deduced that, since Naruto was the only common relationship that they had, he may be a good topic to break the ice.

''If you say so. Personally, I don't mind being with him at all'' Said Kurotsuchi. She didn't care much for any 'girl's time' as Sakura put it. Besides, she had always related more to boys than girls, with her being a tomboy and all.

''Well, he is a nice guy. So I guess that is not unusual that you two are such good friends'' Said Sakura, hoping that Kurotsuchi didn't take her last comment the wrong way, it had only been a joke. ''But you do have to admit that his silliness can be irritating from time to time''

Kurotsuchi couldn't bring herself to deny that statement. She had had her fair share of disputes with the blond in the past, so she knew all too well that Naruto could get on anyone's nerves sometimes. ''He is not that bad. Why? Does he bother you that much or something?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi.

''No, of course not! He might anger me on occasion but we're cool'' Said Sakura with a wave of her hand. To be fair, Naruto hadn't even pestered that much lately, not even to ask her on dates, which was a weird but welcome change for the medic. ''At least he isn't as annoying now. You should have met him when he was younger, he used to be far more childish and loud. He has matured quite a bit in comparison''

''I can imagine'' Said Kurotsuchi with a small smirk. Even if she liked Naruto and got along with him, she still found him to be a bit immature; charming in his own weird way, but still immature. She could only wonder how he had been when he was a child. ''Then it's a good thing that I met him now, or I might not have gotten along with him enough to be his friend''

''Yeah, it is probably for the best'' Agreed Sakura with a smile. ''It wasn't easy being on a team with him. Sasuke-Kun used to get so irritated by him and would always be so moody. I'm surprised they never ended up killing each other'' Said the pinkette good-naturedly before she got a somber look on her eyes. Reminiscing about simpler times and when their team was whole was painful.

''Really? I thought that Naruto and the Uchiha would have gotten along better with how adamant Naruto is in bringing him back'' Remarked Kurotsuchi with a raised eyebrow.

''Well, they had this sort of friendly rivalry between them. They might have been at each other's throats most of the time, but they were still close friends, we were all close'' Said Sakura with a sad tone of voice. ''Our team was not perfect, but we eventually became like a family. If it hadn't been for Sasuke's brother and Orochimaru's interference he would have never left us. Naruto hasn't forgiven himself for failing the mission to bring him back, even though he did everything he could''

''So, he went on a mission to retrieve him and didn't manage to get to the Uchiha fast enough?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''They did catch up to Sasuke and the Oto-nin with him'' Said Yugao from the other side of the room, which caught the attention of the other two girls. ''I heard that Naruto himself fought Sasuke and the rest of his team fought Orochimaru's men. Naruto was the only one to lose his battle and the Uchiha got away. But even though no one died that day they came pretty close to, if it hadn't been for Suna's support they all might have perished'' Said Yugao coldly. The ANBU didn't have a high opinion of the last Uchiha. For a Shinobi there were very few things more important than loyalty to your village, to your comrades. Sasuke left the village, that fact alone would have been enough to label him a missing-nin, but on top of that he almost got a bunch of his friends killed. The purple-haired woman was a firm believer of Kakashi's usual phrase: 'Those who don't follow the rules are trash, but those who abandon their friends are worse than trash', and Sasuke had done both.

It seemed that Kurotsuchi shared Yugao's sentiment. ''What?! That is why we are doing this mission, to get info to save that kind of guy?!'' Exclaimed Kurotsuchi in astonishment and rage. She had already known that the Uchiha deserted, and she could understand the need of Naruto and the rest of Team Seven to get their comrade back and reason with him, but she didn't know that he had attempted to murder his fellow Konoha ninja. Yes, she might have attempted to kill Naruto in the past, but she hadn't been his friend yet, she had no reason to care at the time, but this Sasuke prick was already Naruto's friend and he knew how desperate his team was to get him back, and he still tried to kill the blond?! And not only that but Team Seven still wanted to bring his sorry ass back to Konoha? If Kurotsuchi was in their place she would be looking for the Uchiha all right, not to save him but to rip him a new asshole for being such a traitorous little shit.

''Don't be so quick to judge Sasuke-Kun. He had a pretty tough life, and Orochimaru's machinations along with his brother's memory had a bad influence on him'' Said Sakura.

''Oh poor him, that totally makes up for betraying your trust'' Said Kurotsuchi with a deadpan look.

''You don't even know him! So don't talk about Sasuke-Kun like that! You have no right!'' Said Sakura, getting a bit agitated.

''I don't need to know him to know that he is an asshole'' Said Kurotsuchi coldly. ''Everyone has problems, that doesn't give him a right to treat his comrades like dirt''

Yugao saw Sakura clench her fists as her glare towards the tomboy intensified, so the ANBU chose that moment to intervene lest things got out of hand. ''Okay, that's it for now, you two'' Said the purple-haired woman as she approached the two girls and put a hand on the shoulder of each one. ''I think now would be a good time to go and enjoy the hot springs. So grab some towels and let's get going''

Both teenagers stayed glaring at each other for a moment without saying a word, but after a few seconds they nodded and went their separate ways to look for the towels.

Yugao sighed, glad that their argument didn't escalate more than that. It looked like they would not be friends anytime soon. How she hated working with kids. Yugao hoped that at least Kakashi wasn't having any trouble with the two boys...

Meanwhile, said copy ninja stared with an impassive face as his lone visible eye went back and forth between Naruto and Sai as the blond glared at the pale boy and Sai just glanced back at Naruto with an expressionless smile.

''You have been looking at me for a while now. May I ask why?'' Asked Sai. ''And would you please stop it? It's uncomfortable''

''I can't stand you being here!'' Said Naruto. ''I still haven't got you back for attacking me and bothering Kurotsuchi, so don't think I forgot about that!''

''That's it? That's the only reason why you are angry with me?'' Said Sai as he did a tilting motion with his head.

''Wha-? Of course! What other reason would I need?!'' Said Naruto, raising a fist in a threatening manner.

''I'm sorry if I wronged you before, but I needed to see if the girl was being kept under proper control, and I needed to see if her caretaker was good enough to stop her if she goes rogue'' Explained Said calmly.

''She is fine! She is a good person and would never betray us! So don't stick your nose when you don't need to!'' Said Naruto.

''I disagree. You can't trust an enemy. Also, I'm disappointed by the security around her. You aren't strong enough to stop her, and even with the ANBU guarding her, she seems skilled enough to do good damage before they could put her down. She shouldn't be allowed to roam free'' Said Sai.

Naruto grinded his teeth as he glared daggers at the pale boy. ''First of all, I didn't use all my tricks when we fought, so you have nothing to go around calling me weak! And we can have another go at it whenever you want so I can kick your ass! And second, Kurotsuchi is my friend, one of the best I have and I trust her with my life. I know her better than you, so don't tell me she is dangerous!''

''Making friends with an enemy is a very foolish thing to do but I guess that I should expect something like that from you'' Said Sai, which made Naruto narrow his eyes at him. ''That's just asking for her to stab you in the back when she sees an opportunity''

''What would you know about friends?! With that attitude of yours probably no one likes you!'' Said Naruto as he pointed a finger at Sai. ''So I don't care if you don't like me or Kurotsuchi, I know I can trust my friends!''

Sai squinted his eyes and kept smiling at Naruto, and waited a few seconds more before answering back. ''You have it wrong. I don't have any malice towards you or the girl for that matter. I don't feel anything at all actually. I can't feel happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, shame, nothing. So no, I don't understand concepts like friendship beyond their definition, but we are Shinobi, we don't need any of that. We are tools to complete our mission, nothing more, nothing less''

Naruto was momentarily stunned by Sai's admission, but that didn't last long and he went back to glaring at the pale boy. ''Bullshit. You can't possibly be without any emotion'' Said the blond. What Sai said was very similar to what Zabuza had told him long ago, and even the renowned swordsman had been unable to completely kill his feelings in the end. If someone as cold and ruthless as Zabuza had been unable to relinquish his emotions, there was no way that someone like Sai could. Hearing the stoic boy proclaim that he couldn't feel anything sounded ridiculous to Naruto, it just made Sai seem like a tryhard in his opinion.

''It doesn't matter what you think, it's the truth. I have endured rigorous training regimens to get rid of my emotions completely'' Informed Sai.

''Keep telling yourself that. You know what I think?'' Asked Naruto, waiting to see if Sai would add anything when he didn't, the blond continued. ''I think that you are trying to convince yourself that you don't have feelings as much as you want to convince others''

''Those are baseless assumptions. From all my peers I'm one of the best'' Said Sai.

''From your 'peers' you say? Then there are others like you?'' Inquired the Jinchuuriki.

Now that got Sai to widen his eyes. He had made a mistake, he wasn't supposed to be talking about ROOT. How could he had been so careless just because of Naruto's prodding? Did the blond's words actually affect him?

''He is a member of ROOT'' Informed Kakashi with crossed arms.

Naruto looked at his teacher with a puzzled expression while Sai watched him in shock at having his secret revealed.

''I'm sorry Sai, but if you are going to be Naruto's teammate he deserves to know'' Said Kakashi.

''But what is 'ROOT' Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked the blond.

The copy ninja hummed softly as he thought of a good way to explain. ''Simply put, they are a branch of our ANBU. They are technically still ANBU but they are different in a number of ways. The members of ROOT are trained to try and suppress their emotions and taught that only the mission given to them are important above all else, even more so than their personal beliefs, loyalties, or even their life. Also, they are not under the direct command of the Hokage like regular ANBU, but under Danzo's orders'' Said Kakashi.

''That's sound terrible! Why does Tsunade-Baachan allow something like that to exist?! They should be disbanded!'' Exclaimed Naruto as Sai looked at both of them with an unreadable face.

''Officially, they are disbanded, but they still operate underground. As I said before, their loyalties aren't with the Hokage, they won't disappear just like that even if the Hokage says so'' Kakashi pointed out. The Hokage did have the means to completely eradicate the organization, but doing so might risk a skirmish between Konoha Shinobi, as that action would cause a divide between both factions of the ANBU. Add that to the fact that ROOT was a necessarily evil; there were a lot of less than savory things that had to be done regularly for the village prosperity, and ROOT took care of those assignments. It wasn't an ideal situation but that was how the world worked.

Naruto stared horrified at the copy ninja's explanation before he redirected his gaze to Sai. ''How can you be okay with being part of such a repulsive organization?! They treat you like trash as if you didn't matter!'' Naruto couldn't comprehend how someone would be fine in working under someone that saw you as less than human.

''It might seem awful and inhuman to you, but what we do is make us into proper Shinobi. Most ninjas have forgotten that we are meant to be weapons for our people's benefit, in ROOT we just strive to continue to uphold the true meaning of a Shinobi'' Explained Sai, still as calm as ever.

Naruto was about to give another rebuttal when Kakashi interrupted him.

''Sai, I get what you say. I used to be the same way'' Said the copy ninja softly. ''I was once a member of ANBU, and I was one of it's best members, mainly because I did my best to kill my emotions and become the image of the perfect Shinobi I had in my mind. Just like ROOT ninja, I only thought of the mission and the mission only. The only times I would stray from my objectives is if I had to help my comrades, but aside from that I did only what was best for the completion of the assignment, and always with a cold and stoic disposition''

''I fail to see what the problem is if you always completed your missions with flying colors'' Said Sai.

''The problem is that I was losing myself'' Said Kakashi eerily. ''I was starting to become detached to everything and everyone around me. A Shinobi that feels strongly that the cause he is fighting for is worth all the struggle, is a Shinobi that performs at the best of his ability, even more so than an emotionless killing machine. Now I'm grateful that the Sandaime made me get out of the ANBU, or I might have ended up worse.''

''Emotions are the cause of every conflict in history. Emotions breed hatred, which in turn breeds war. Is better to be a machine than incite war'' Replied Sai stubbornly.

Naruto had had enough of hearing Sai's ridiculous logic and decided to really give him a piece of his mind. ''Emotions are what shape people in the first place!''

Naruto's outburst actually startled Sai and made him stagger a little bit.

''Yes, without emotion there would be no wars but there would be nothing else either!'' Naruto continued. ''What we feel for other people is was makes them worth protecting in the first place! Enjoying the company of family and friends is the most important thing in the world, those bonds are what makes life worth living! And even when we feel bad, like when we are sad, or angry or whatever, that is still fine too, because that is how you know you are alive, and as long as you live you can always find something to enjoy in life. If we didn't feel anything we might as well be dead''

Sai was speechless, he didn't know how to respond to what Naruto had said. The blond did have a point, if people didn't care about other people, then what sense did it make to have ninja to protect their friends and family? A good example was Kirigakure when they started making academy students kill their classmates in an attempt to make them kill their emotions, which resulted in an entire generation of sociopathic killers. Also, because most of the graduates were turned into psychos, a lot of them defected to become missing-nin since, without emotion, they also lacked loyalty even to their village. Even today, Kirigakure still struggled to remove their stigma as the 'Bloody Mist Village' despite having abandoned their previous practices. But Sai wanted to think that the situation in Kiri was different, the first thing that ROOT cemented in their members was a firm loyalty to their leader: Danzo-Sama, so their similarities with Kiri didn't mean that ROOT's teachings were flawed, did it?

''You know, I think that you lie'' Said Naruto, which caused Sai's distracted gaze to focus him once more. ''I think that you do feel something already: You are afraid. You know that deep inside you still have emotions, but you are too afraid to let them out because you don't want to think that you and your master have been wrong all along. You are too afraid of your own feelings that you would rather bury them than come face to face with your own humanity, and that's sad. If you weren't such an asshole I would pity you'' Finished Naruto before getting up and leaving the room with the intent of crashing in the hot springs to relieve some tension.

Kakashi and Sai were left alone as the pale boy pondered on what Naruto had said. Was he afraid? Did he really yearn to know the feelings that he had relinquished all those years ago? And if so, what was he going to do about it?

''I don't know about you, but I think that a nice hot bath would do us some good. What do you say?'' Said Kakashi with an eye-smile, breaking the silence in the room.

Sai directed his attention to the Sharingan user before he nodded reluctantly. And with that, both of them also exited the room.

Kurotsuchi and Sakura sat submerged to the neck in hot thermal waters, making a point to ignore each other after their recent argument. The pond they were was rather spacious, one could easily fit about two dozen people comfortably, but since it was pretty late in the night, only Kurotsuchi and Sakura were ocupying it as they waited for Yugao. Even though the place was outdoors the pond was surrounded by tall walls, no doubt to protect the guests from unwanted prying eyes. The men's pond was just next to the women's, but their areas were divided by a tall and thick wall constructed with bamboo poles.

''Hey girls, how's the water?'' Said Yugao as she approached the two teenagers while only wearing a towel to conceal her body.

''It feels great'' Said Sakura, a bit more drily than intended as she was still miffed about her discussion with the tomboy.

''It does seem that way'' Said Yugao as she tested the temperature by sticking her toe in the water from the edge of the pond. Once she determined that the temperature was to her liking, she took off her towel and proceeded to go down the steps made from stone as she joined the other two girls.

Sakura stared enviously at Yugao as she entered the pond. The medic liked to think that she had come a long way from her Genin days, not only regarding her skill but also her attractiveness as a woman, and seeing the older woman's perfect figure made her feel very self-conscious of her own, particularly her bust size.

Even Kurotsuchi, who normally didn't care about such things, couldn't help but stare at Yugao. Who knew that the ANBU had such a good shapely figure underneath her uniform. The Iwa Kunoichi had never considered herself to be very feminine, even in body, as her frame was very boyish. So she could not stop herself from comparing her body to the purple-haired woman.

''Ahh, that's the stuff! This is just what I needed'' Said Yugao with content as she sat at the side of the two younger girls before she eyed them in wonder when she noticed the weird stares sent her way. ''What is it? Do I have something on my face?''

''It's nothing'' Replied both girls at the same time.

Yugao wasn't entirely convinced by their answer, but she just shrugged as she decided to not bother. Instead, she leaned back until her back was against the stone and she sighed to relax.

With both teenage girls doing their best to avoid talking to each other, along with their sour mood, the three of them just sat there in the water in silence, but to Yugao that was just fine, it meant that she could enjoy herself in tranquility.

Meanwhile, at the other side of the bamboo wall, Kakashi, Naruto, and Sai were also enjoying a bath.

''You guys better take this chance to loosen your muscles. Too much tension before a mission can be harmful to your bodies, and you don't want that on the battlefield'' Said Kakashi as he sat in the water with both arms resting on the edge of the pond in a relaxed manner, and even while taking a bath he still found ways to cover the lower half of his face, he did so by wrapping a towel around it, which in Naruto's opinion looked completely ridiculous.

''I know, I know, but is hard to not be anxious when we are so close to getting information about Sasuke'' Said Naruto from the other side of the pond.

''Don't get too ahead of yourself, Naruto. Even though our mission is to capture the spy, we still have to determine if there is one in the first place'' Said Kakashi sagely. ''Remember that this lead was given to us by Sasori. We don't know if he was being truthful or he was leading us into a trap. We will approach the place cautiously, and once we determine that he didn't set us up, then we can worry about getting info on Sasuke''

''That makes sense'' Said Naruto, a bit somberly. with so much excitement coursing through him, he forgot to consider that Sasori might have lied to them, and if that was the case it would put them at square one once again.

''Don't lose hope, we can't do anything about it right now, trap or not. So we just have to have faith for the time being'' Reassured Kakashi before turning to their new member and ask what he thought about it. ''Isn't that right, Sai?''

Said boy was currently looking at the distance with a lost look on his face, and for a moment he didn't react, but after realizing that someone had talked to him he widened his eyes and looked at the two other people with him as if he had just been snapped out of some trance. ''Yes, of course, Kakashi-Senpai'' Said the boy with a bit of uncertainty as if he wasn't sure of the question he had just answered to before he went back to looking at nothing in particular.

Kakashi and Naruto glanced at each other to share looks of confusion at Sai's strange behavior. Ever since their talk a few minutes ago, the ROOT member had been very quiet, even more than usual, and seemed to be lost in thought constantly. They both wondered what was up with Sai all of a sudden. Regardless, they were thankful that he at least wasn't being a dick like he normally did due to his terrible social skills.

''All right, guys I forgot some things in our room. I'll be back shortly'' Said Kakashi as he stood up. He figured that his beloved Icha Icha book would help him relish in his bath even more if what he wanted was to relax and enjoy himself. Also, he forgot another towel as he usually used two: one for covering his face and another for covering his privates, and he forgot the one for his privates.

 _''You gotta be kidding me! Really, Kakashi-Sensei?!''_ Thought Naruto as he saw Kakashi walk into the hotel again with the towel wrapped around his head than on his waist. He simply couldn't believe that the man cared more about keeping his face hidden than cover his family jewels for the world to see. _''Kakashi-Sensei has issues''_ Thankfully Sai was still distracted to notice the shameful display of their captain, so that was something at least.

With Kakashi gone, Naruto submerged himself to his nose and starting bubbling water with his mouth just below the surface in boredom. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy the bath or anything, but he wasn't the type to stay still without nothing to do, and now that his Sensei left him, there went his only source of conversation, considering that Sai didn't appear to be in a talkative mood, and even if he had been, Naruto wouldn't have talked to him anyway. He perked up and surfaced when a mischievous idea came to him and he turned around to look at the bamboo wall behind him. He remembered hearing the girls voice not long ago, which meant that they had to be taking a bath at the same time that they were. Just a quick and sneaky peek from above the wall separating them would be enough to give him a good view of them. He blushed at the thought of seeing his teammates in all their naked glory. He had liked Sakura since forever, and Yugao was good looking too, and Kurotsuchi...

He gulped at the thought of the image of his friend taking a bath as her damp hair clung to her body, and her skin glittered in the light due to water covering her smooth skin. He blushed furiously at the mental picture he created of her, and he wondered why his reaction was only directed at her. If anything he should be anticipating seeing Sakura who he had been pursuing for years. He shook his head as he debated if he should go trough with his idea or not. He glanced at Sai once more to see if he was paying any attention at all, and just as expected, Sai still had the same lost look as before, so Naruto felt confident that his pale comrade wouldn't notice anything, and even if he did, he was too ignorant to socially acceptable behaviour that the might not even think anything of it.

Naruto sighed, already having made up his mind. A quick peek wouldn't hurt, would it? He would climb the bamboo wall silently, watch for a couple of seconds, and come back down as if nothing ever happened, easy peasy.

He stood up, wrapped a towel around his waist, and slowly made his way towards the wall, and with all the care in the world, he grabbed firmly the rows of ropes holding together the strong wooden poles and he started to climb. As he got higher and higher he made sure to only let go of one hand until he was sure that the rest of his limbs were properly holding on. He kept the same pace for a couple of minutes until he was almost at the top. _''Almost there!''_ However, just before he placed his hand over the last segment of the wall, he stopped to think again on what he was about to do. _''Wait, what am I doing?!''_ Thought the blond in disgust with himself when he considered that this wasn't just a simple prank or anything like that, he was effectively invading the privacy of his fellow teammates and friends, it was a betrayal of their trust. He was always berating Jiraiya for spying on women, and here he was about to do the same thing. Imagining the look of anger, disappointment, and betrayal on Kurotsuchi's face if she ever found out what he had done was more than enough to make him reconsider his actions.

So, having changed completely his mind, the blond started climbing down the wall once again. but as he started doing so, he felt the base of the bamboo poles starting to wave back and forth slowly. Naruto froze in silent panic, it looked like the wall wasn't as sturdy as he originally thought and was about to fall. In fact, the only thing keeping it in place was Naruto himself balancing the damn thing from the top. _''Oh crap, I should just have let go and dropped to the ground when I had the chance!''_ Yes, falling from that height would have made some noise, but the women at the other side might not have thought too much of it, but now if he let go of the wall it would just come crashing down and the girls would realize what he had been trying to do. The only thing that Naruto wished was that he could hold on long enough until Kurotsuchi and the rest finished their bath...

Kurotsuchi turned to look as the medic on their team when Sakura gave a yawn as she stretched her arms above her head, a clear signal that she was tired, not surprising since it was late already.

''I think this is enough for me'' Said the pinkette as she stood up and wrapped her towel around her body. ''I'm going to bed now. See you tomorrow if I don't notice you when you come back to our room'' Added Sakura with a wave of her hand.

''Have a good night, Sakura'' Said Yugao politely while Kurotsuchi just settled for waving back as they both looked on as Sakura went back into the building.

Once the medic was gone, Yugao turned to look at Kurotsuchi. ''I had hoped that you two would get along better''

The tomboy shrugged off the ANBU's concern. ''Is not my fault that pinky is so oversensitive when it comes to the Uchiha. Naruto never mentioned how much of a dick the guy was, so it came to me as a surprise when I heard about the things he did''

''I don't like the guy either, but you also have to remember that Naruto and Sakura feel a strong need to save him, even if it has to be from himself too'' Yugao reminded the tomboy. ''What I'm trying to say is that just try to me more understanding of them, or at the very least be more sensitive when you mention Sasuke around them''

''I know that'' Replied Kurotsuchi. ''Still, I can't understand how they can like such a guy''

''Just try to put yourself in their place. What would you do if you lost a close friend to you, Naruto for example, and you knew that you could do something to get him back. Wouldn't you at least try?'' Asked Yugao, using her knowledge abut the girl's increasing affections for the blond in her favor.

''Th-That's different!'' Said Kurotsuchi with a blush. ''I know that he would not put me in the same position that the Uchiha put him in, nor would I do the same to him. I know that Naruto can get on my nerves, but unlike the Uchiha, I know he has integrity''

It was at that moment that the tall bamboo wall beside them came crashing down and both Kunoichi were quick to stood up and get themselves in a battle position should they be under attack, but to their surprise they just found a familiar blond figure squirming in pain, face down on the remains of the bamboo poles.

When they realized what was going on, both girls grabbed their respective towels in haste to cover their bodies from the chest to their knees before they turned to glare coldly at Naruto who was just starting to get up.

''Naruto!'' both women growled at the boy with murderous intent clear in their eyes.

Naruto barely had time to rub his aching head before he attempted to calm down the livid females. ''W-Wait! I can explain, I swear!'' But his pleas fell on deaf ears for the girls still looked just as angry.

''I'm going to kick his ass'' Kurotsuchi informed Yugao, first making sure that she would not get in trouble with the ANBU for assaulting the Jinchuuriki.

''Please do. Hard'' Responded Yugao icily.

Naruto gulped loudly as he turned around in an effort to make a run for the hotel entrance on his side of the pond, but his sprint was cut short when he felt a chunk of quicklime connect with his leg and he stumbled and fell to the floor as Kurotsuchi approached him to give him a beating.

Naruto's pained yells resonated around the pond area as Yugao watched with content the punishment that befell upon the blond while Sai just occasionally spared a glance at them before he returned to his own thoughts.

By the time that Kakashi came back, he was greeted with a huge mass of congealed quicklime sitting in the middle of the pond with the bruised face of Naruto sticking out from it and he was apparently out cold, while Sai just continued to sit calmly at his side.

The copy ninja turned to look with a deadpan expression at the bamboo wall and saw it being supported by another mass of quicklime that kept it standing as it acted like some sort of makeshift glue. Kakashi didn't need to be a genius to deduce what had happened here.

The Sharingan user let out a tired sigh as he turned to the newest member of the team. ''Sai, please help Naruto get out of there'' Said Kakashi as he entered the water once again to read his Icha Icha book in peace.

Sai nodded obediently and he proceeded lo leave and look for a Kunai or any other tool that helped him carve Naruto out of the cement-like substance.

 _''With Naruto around, even a simple break before a mission is eventful''_ Thought Kakashi as he flipped a page of his book.

 **Author's note:**

 **I want to apologize for the length of this chapter which is shorter than usual. Again. But to make up for it, I'll be posting the next chapter much sooner! (I have already written a good portion of it)**

 **The chapter might seem kinda like filler, but I didn't want to jump straight into the action just yet as I needed to start setting up some events that are going to happen later and I needed to establish some things first so when the events happen they don't seem like they came out of nowhere, so I needed to develop the characters just a little bit more.**

 **Just one random thought that I feel I need to share with you guys is that I seem to have a lot of trouble writing Sakura which is the reason why I took so long to update. I swear to god that everytime I experince any amount of writer's block is because of Sakura related scenes. I think that I have a lot of trouble writing her because of the way her character is potrayed in the show: She swings back and forth from a capable and strong Kunoichi and fighter to a helpless/useless damsel in distress that has to depend on the rest of her team to do anything, and this extends to the way she acts too, not just in her abilities. Thanks to the inconsistency in her canon behaviour I always end up stressing if I'm portraying her right or not, even when she doesn't have that big of a scene.**

 **I know that it seems insignificant that I worry so much about getting a single character right despite not having that much of an impact in the story, but that's because the one thing that I find the most important in fanfcition is characterization. I consider that the number one reason people read fanfiction is because they want to see more of the characters they love, If you butcher their personality then they are not the same character anymore, which defeats the purpose of reading a fic in the first place, that's the main reason I dislike bashing actually. The only instance when I find acceptable to be a little OC is when you are writing a comedy scene, and even then, one has to be careful to not go overboard with the OCness. That's why I always try my very best to keep the characters true to their selves, I don't claim that I do it perfectly, but I always give it my all.**

 **Well damn, this author's note was a lot longer than I intended, so I won't prolong it anymore.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! And as always, please review or send me a PM if you want.**


	21. Chapter 21: These Bonds We Share

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 21: These Bonds We Share

-Tenchi Bridge-

Team Seven had already arrived at their destination, albeit a bit early, to investigate the area around and make sure that they weren't walking into a trap, like an ambush and the like. When they determined that it didn't seem to be the case, they made a trap of their own, which consisted of the team splitting into two groups with three members on each side of the bridge hiding among the trees or the bushes, so once the spy appeared they would ambush him or her from both sides so their target would have no way of escaping. One one side there was Yugao, accompanied by Sakura and Sai; and on the other side of the structure, Kakashi was in charge of Naruto and Kurotsuchi. In the middle of the bridge, there was already a clone of Naruto using a transformation Jutsu to look like Sasori. It didn't matter that the blond could not imitate the puppeteer's mannerisms since they were going to attack as soon as the spy met with him at the bridge.

The wait for all of them had been pretty tense, they didn't know who they were waiting for, so the abilities of this mysterious person were unknown. But considering that he was a spy from Akatsuki sent to infiltrate Orochimaru's ranks, they figured that whoever it was wasn't a pushover.

As they waited, Naruto looked to his side to see Kurotsuchi who was deadly focused on the task at hand and was ignoring him since his little accident at the hot springs. The blond was dying to talk to her and properly explain what had happened, but she wouldn't have any of that and tended to shush him every time he attempted to do so or he risked further bodily harm. He just felt extremely uncomfortable having her mad at him, but he could admit that he deserved it this time, he should have never attempted that stunt.

Kurotsuchi could feel Naruto's gaze on her, and she guessed that he wanted to apologize to her, but she didn't pay him any mind. To tell the truth, she wasn't that mad at him anymore. She knew that it was in Naruto's nature to do stupid shit, and he being a hormonal boy and all that it wasn't that surprising that he had had a moment of weakness. Besides, he hadn't seen anything he shouldn't as he had fallen face first on the ground and didn't get up until she had already covered herself properly. And she had a hard time admitting it but for some reason, a part of her felt nice that the Jinchuuriki considered her attractive, but she guessed that it was because she was always proud to excel at everything she could, and being considered attractive was flattering, right? Because what else could be making her feel like that? Still, she still had stay angry at Naruto for just a while longer if only out of principle so he would learn his lesson.

Suddenly, Kakashi and his two companions tensed when they spotted a cloaked figure walking the narrow path that they were watching over from their hiding spots, and in everyone's mind, they concluded that this had to be the spy. They watched attentively as the person walked past them and towards the bridge where the disguised clone of Naruto was waiting.

The cloaked figure walked calmly until he stopped a few yards in front of the fake Sasori, and for a moment, Team Seven waited anxiously for anything to happen. They didn't have to wait long, as the mysterious person started talking.

''It has been a long time, Sasori-Sama'' Said the person, now identified as a male from his tone of voice, but still no one could see his features as his cowl concealed his face, but all members of Team Seven, except for Yugao and Sai, thought that the man's voice sounded familiar.

The clone of Naruto posing as Sasori didn't know how to respond to the man, so he just growled and gave a small nod.

''Forgive me, master. I didn't want to be rude by not revealing myself before you, but considering my position, can you blame me?'' Said the man, luckily mistaking the fake Sasori's silence for displeasure in his lack of etiquette. ''Very well. I enjoy face to face interactions more, anyway''

As soon as the man said that, he proceeded to remove the cowl, which made the younger members of Team Seven, save for Sai, stare in shock at the familiar face of Kabuto.

 _''No way! He is the spy! I thought he was completely loyal to Orochimaru!''_ Thought the surprised Naruto. But he soon concluded that Kabuto was even slimier than he had previously thought, it looked like no one was exempt from that man's treachery, not even Orochimaru.

 _''Is that four-eyes again!''_ Kurotsuchi added mentally. She hadn't expected to see that fucker here, but on the other hand, this would be a chance to properly punish him for the problems he caused back in The Land of Frost.

Unfortunately for Team Seven, when Naruto's clone saw Kabuto, even he reacted by widening his eyes momentarily in surprise, an action that made Kabuto suspicious.

''What's wrong, Sasori-Sama?'' Asked the rogue medic with a frown. For a moment it had looked that Sasori hadn't expected to see him there, which didn't make sense as they had gathered there to meet in the first place. When realization hit Kabuto he quickly tossed a Kunai at the fake Sasori, who had not been anticipating the attack and received the hit directly, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Now that the gig was up, Kabuto turned around to make a run for it but he was stopped short on his way when Kakashi, Naruto, and Kurotuchi blocked his path. He took a moment to glance back the other way only to see three more people at the other end of the bridge, effectively trapping him.

Seeing that he had no way to go, Kabuto turned to Kakashi's group and greeted them with a condescending smile. ''So we meet again, Naruto. And I see that the girl is still hanging around with you''

Naruto took a step forward with a fist raised towards Kabuto. ''Shut up! I'm tired of seeing your face every time something is wrong! Now you won't get away from us this time!''

''That's right'' Said Kurotsuchi as she too took a step forward to line up with Naruto. ''You ran like a coward last when we fought, but now you finally get to pay for what you did to that poor village in the Land of Frost''

''You would do well to not remind me of that. I'm still a bit annoyed from that time, you don't want to mess with me when I'm angry'' Said Kabuto with a cold grin as he brought a hand to adjust his glasses.

''Just give it up, Kabuto'' Said Kakashi, finally talking for the first time. ''There is no need to fight. You are outnumbered and there is no way out, you can't win. So just surrender and come with us quietly''

Instead of doing as Kakashi suggested, Kabuto started to chuckle to himself before he answered back. ''How very amusing. You seem to think that you got it all figured out, when in fact, you are the ones being played''

Kakashi wondered momentarily what Kabuto was talking about, but he quickly widened his lone eye when he felt something behind them. ''Move!'' The copy ninja barked out and the three of them threw themselves to the side and barely avoided a barrage of snakes that had been coming directly at them with their fangs bared.

Once Kakashi, Naruto, and Kurotsuchi recovered their balance they lost when they dodged, they looked to the woods to see a man coming from among the foliage. The man had white skin, he was even paler than Sai was, he had long silky black hair that partially covered his slitted yellow eyes. He was wearing a gray garb with a long-sleeved black shirt underneath it. He also had a weird purple belt around his waist that was as thick as a rope and was tied in a knot behind him.

 _''What a bizarre and creepy looking guy. He must be Orochimaru''_ Thought Kurotsuchi as she cursed her rotten luck. Of course, she had to face yet another S-ranked Shinobi. Even if she had never met the man, the Sannin's unusual appearance was pretty well known, so unless there was another guy around that also looked like a white snake, this had to be the infamous snake Sannin himself.

Kakashi didn't waste his time to reveal his Sharingan if Orochimaru was their opponent. He narrowed both of his eyes when he now realized that Kabuto had been acting like a spy, but he was actually planning on turning on Sasori and had brought Orochimaru to help him deal with the Akatsuki member.

''What do we have here? We were expecting to find Sasori-Kun, but this is fine too'' Said the pale man in a raspy voice before he chuckled eerily to himself. ''Hello Naruto-Kun, long time no see''

When the man addressed the Jinchuuriki, Naruto's anger increased even more and his eyes turned red as his fangs became more pronounced. Having the reason why Sasuke left them right in front of him and talking to him like if they were old pals made his blood boil.

''Since Sasori isn't here, I'm guessing that is safe to assume that he is dead? How fortunate for us'' Added Kabuto, still standing in the middle of the bridge. ''This must be our lucky day, not only is Sasori dead but here we have the two responsible for ruining my project in the Land of Frost. I would very much enjoy dealing with them''

''Oh yes, you told me about that. Even the girl is present, surprisingly. Considering where she is from'' Said Orochimaru as he turned to look at Kurotsuchi.

Said Iwa Kunoichi frowned in discomfort at having such a disgusting man leering at her, it made her skin crawl.

From her place all the way at the other side of the bridge, taking advantage that Orochimaru and Kabuto were wasting time talking, Yugao looked around to gauge the situation. Sakura at her side looked very tense but also very angry in the presence of the Snake Sannin, Sai seemed collected and focused, no doubt evaluating their current problem himself. The older woman had trouble spotting the rest of her team all the way in front of her, but she could see that Kakashi and Kurotsuchi had defensive positions, ready to attack if need be, while Naruto looked livid.

Having analyzed carefully their predicament, Yugao spoke to the teenagers beside her. ''You two wait for my signal. We will attack Orochimaru once we see an opening, so be ready''

At her order, both Sakura and Sai nodded obediently, ready to act at a moment's notice.

Meanwhile, Kabuto continued his ramblings. ''Orochimaru-Sama, if you would allow me, please let me have the pleasure of eliminating Naruto and the girl personally''

Orochimaru had an amused grin at his henchman request. ''You won't be happy until I let you, don't you, Kabuto? Honestly, I wasn't that interested in that project of yours, recruiting new personnel had never been difficult. But I guess I can understand your frustration, you were the one who worked the hardest on our branch in the Land of Frost after all'' Commented the Sannin flamboyantly. ''However, I would advise against killing Naruto-Kun and his friends. They have already dealt with Sasori, so letting them take care of a few more members of Akatsuki for us isn't a bad idea. Regardless, If you really feel the need to get revenge on them, I suppose letting you have the girl is fine''

As soon as Orochimaru's words left his mouth, Naruto was in front of him with a clawed hand swiping at his face as a red Chakra cloak with two tails enveloped him.

The force of the blow was such that the trees around the Sannin were unrooted and the pale man was sent flying through the woods.

''Don't you dare touch her!'' Yelled an enraged Naruto. Orochimaru had already taken Sasuke from him, he would not let him take Kurotsuchi too. He would tear Orochimaru piece by piece for even mentioning it.

Kurotsuchi and Kakashi stood stunned by the display of raw power that Naruto used to repel the Sannin with.

Kabuto took their distraction as a good opportunity to attack Kurotsuchi now that she had her guard down. He started rushing at her with his hand surrounded by a chakra blade with the intent of striking a vital organ.

From their position, Yugao and her small group managed to see Kabuto charging at the Iwa Kunoichi, and they were about to move themselves but before they could, they saw Naruto turn around with a look of pure rage in his eyes as he brought an arm forward and the red shroud surrounding his appendage extended from his body in the blink of an eye which grabbed Kabuto before he could reach the tomboy and he proceeded to slam the spy on the forest ground, tearing even more trees as he did so.

Sweat rolled down Kurotsuchi's brow at seeing Naruto's brutality. She knew that the blond might have killed Kabuto with that last attack, it wasn't like the good-natured boy to be so savage in battle. She had forgotten how bad the effects of the Kyuubi's Chakra was on Naruto's psyche.

Meanwhile, Kakashi hastily scrambled through his weapons pouch to find a certain seal tag that Jiraiya had given to him in case that Naruto lost control of the Kyuubi. He was supposed to place it on the boy's skin and it would suppress the malevolent aura. And seeing that Naruto wasn't getting any calmer he would do well to use it now that the blond was still somewhat reasonable.

Their attention was diverted from Naruto when they heard someone snickering from the forest. ''That's it? After all these years I expected more from you, Naruto-Kun'' Said Orochimaru with a derogatory smirk as he came to view in the distance.

Naruto's eyes got even sharper when he heard the Sannin's voice again, and with that last taunt, a third tail manifested itself on his Chakra cloak. With his power boosted even further and his control thinning, Naruto gave a deafening roar that produced a shockwave directed at Orochimaru, so strong it was that it even made Kurotsuchi and Kakashi stumble back despite being a few yards of distance between them and the Jinchuuriki.

Orochimaru saw the attack coming from a mile away and he easily dodged to the side by slithering across the ground, contorting his body unnaturally as he moved like a snake around the trees. However, Naruto didn't miss a beat and pressed his attack by rushing to Orochimaru with amazing speed and using a barrage of slashing attacks with his claws, but the Sannin used his abnormal dexterity to continuously dodge the swipes as the Jinchuuriki tore through the landscape even more with each missed blow.

Kakashi cursed under his breath, he had been too late to put the tag on Naruto. It was obvious that the boy had lost control by this point, he wouldn't have used that last attack with no reward for his comrades safety if he was still sane. He knew from Jiraiya that while Naruto could technically keep his control with three tails, he had to have a clear head to do so, with his anger right now that simply wasn't going to happen. Now getting close to the boy to apply the tag would not be easy, not when he was berserk and fighting a dangerous S-ranked missing-nin.

''Kakashi-Sensei, are you all right?!'' Said Sakura with urgency as she arrived at her teacher's location with Yugao and Sai in tow.

''I'm fine, instead we should worry about doing something about Naruto'' Replied the copy ninja.

 _''God, I can't believe I'm looking at Naruto right now. The Kyuubi's Chakra is such a terrifying thing''_ Thought Sakura with worry as she redirected her attention to the Jinchuuriki. She could barely see her blond teammate from her position as he engaged Orochimaru, but the dust from his rampage could be seen clearly. The fox's Chakra felt so foul that she wasn't sure if they were safe either.

''What do you propose we do, captain?'' Asked Sai, still keeping his cool even with everything that happened.

''We have to suppress the Biju's Chakra. At this pace, Naruto will become a threat to everyone here, even himself. We can't allow this to continue'' Said Kakashi with authority.

''Suppress it? How do we do that?'' Inquired Yugao.

''I have something that Jiraiya-Sama gave me that will do the trick, but I need to get close to Naruto for it to work. We'll have to follow him at a safe distance until an opportunity presents itself'' Said Kakashi. ''Remember, stay far from Naruto or you might end up in the crossfire. Is that understood?''

Everyone nodded in understanding at Kakashi's warning, and with a plan of action decided, they all got moving.

By the time they caught up with Naruto he had just gotten another tail and had just started going through changes that they had never seen Naruto undergo before even under the effects of the Kyuubi.

 _''What the hell is happening to Naruto?!''_ Thought Kurotsuchi as she and her companions looked in horror at the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto gave a thundering yell of both anger and pain as his skin started tearing off his body and the blood gushing out from the resulting wounds mixed with his Chakra cloak, tainting the entirety of his body as it enveloped him in a crimson shade that served to make the appearance of fur but the consistency looked almost liquid in nature. Then his eyes become completely white and they almost seemed lo glow. By the end of the transformation, the boy looked like a miniature demon fox.

''Oh my, now that's more like it'' Said Orochimaru with anticipation. ''Show me how much you've grown, boy''

As soon as Orochimaru muttered those words, Naruto was upon him with renewed energy.

Orochimaru widened his eyes in shock when Naruto closed the distance with him so fast that he couldn't dodge his next swipe and it tore his body in two.

Team Seven gasped in astonishment when they saw Naruto deliver a seemingly fatal blow to the Sannin only for snakes to come out of the wounds which weaved into each other to reconnect the body of the man as if he had never even taken a scratch.

When the feral boy realized that his attack didn't work he roared at Orochimaru before a lunging at him again with his claws, but this time, when he connected with the snake-like man, he turned to mud as the real one emerged from the ground below, head first with a blade coming through his mouth and took the Jinchuuriki with him, pinning the boy's back against a rock as he held him in place with the sword.

However, to Orochimaru's dismay his blade, despite being one of the sharpest in the world, failed to pierce Naruto's skin and the miniature Kyuubi just took the sword with his bare hand and pulled Orochimaru towards him, and in one quick motion, he bisected the Sannin again and sent his upper half soaring through the air a considerable distance away.

The mangled body of Orochimaru stood motionless for a moment before two hands stuck out from the mouth of the man and pushed the way aside for another Orochimaru to come out, effectively resembling a snake changing his skin.

''You have turned into a fine Jinchuuriki, Naruto-Kun'' Praised Orochimaru after having regenerated from all the damage done to him. ''But you still have ways to go before you reach Sasuke's level or mine for that matter''

Naruto, instead of attacking again like Orochimaru had estimated, let out yet another savage roar, but this time as he did so, several orbs of what appeared to be Chakra separated from his body and melded into a gigantic dark sphere in the sky.

Team Seven and even Orochimaru stared agape at the ball floating above them. The Chakra orb was so dense that it was even casting a shadow on all the people below.

 _''This is just insane! What kind of battle is this turning into?!''_ Thought Yugao in alarm, and by the looks of her comrades, they all must have had similar concerns.

 _''What is he planning on doing with that?''_ Thought Orochimaru with equal wonder.

Then, the sphere started turning smaller and smaller, compressing the Chakra even further every time, until it could fit in the palm of a hand. Once it stopped shrinking, the small ball slowly descended towards Naruto and he promptly swallowed it.

For a moment it looked like nothing was going to happen until the Jinchuuriki's whole body bloated like a balloon before he opened his mouth and released all the condensed Chakra stored inside, shooting it towards Orochimaru in a straight line.

 _''I can't let something like that hit me or it'll be the end of me''_ Concluded Orochimaru as he put his hands on the ground. ''Kuchiyose: Sanju Rashomon!'' with that, three gigantic spiky metal gates with demonic faces that towered over the surrounding trees appeared in front of Orochimaru.

Naruto's Chakra beam collided with Orochimaru's Jutsu in a violent explosion of energy. A good portion of the forest was immediately obliterated as the surrounding trees outright disintegrated.

Team Seven covered their eyes as the blinding light made it impossible to look at the scene directly.

By the time the light and the smoke cleared out, all three of Orochimaru's gates were completely gone and a large smoking crater was left of the area. Even the Sannin himself was sprawled on the ground with his body bent in weird angles, as his Jutsu had obviously not been enough to stop all the force of the Chakra.

Orochimaru groaned in pain as he twisted his body to set his dislocated limbs in their proper place. _''This is bad, this body can't take much more and is starting to shut down''_ His current vessel had already run it's course and it could be better if he didn't continue to push himself too hard until the day to take over Sasuke's body arrived. So with much disappointment, he would have to retreat.

Kurotsuchi's concern for her blond friend increased by the minute. She could not understand how Naruto could still be standing after his skin had peeled off and he had bloated like a blowfish. It was then that she brought a hand to her mouth in horror as she finally understood that the only thing that kept Naruto alive was the Kyuubi's regeneration. It was constantly damaging and healing his body in an awful cycle. This transformation had to be shortening the boy's lifespan, it could even kill him! She had had enough, she wasn't going to keep standing on the sidelines as the friend that had helped her time and again needed her.

''Wait, Kurotsuchi come back!'' Yugao yelled after the tomboy when she saw the girl suddenly make a run for the crazed Jinchuuriki.

''Kurotsuchi! Stay with the team, It's dangerous!'' Ordered Kakashi but the girl just ignored her leader's words. ''Damn it! Everyone, stay close to me, we have to stop her!'' Finished the copy ninja as his worried team followed his lead and chased Kurotsuchi.

However, Team Seven's efforts were in vain as Kurotsuchi already had a big lead on them and she arrived much sooner at the clearing that Naruto was currently in.

''Naruto, stop!'' Kurotsuchi desperately called her friend and the blood-red Jinchuuriki turned to her with his sharp crimson teeth bared at her and his white, almost shining eyes, seemed to bore into her soul.

Kurotsuchi stopped in front of Naruto and she gulped as she stared into his pale eyes. It was hard to believe that this creature was the fun loving blond that she had come to care for. ''Everything is all right, it's just me, I'm not here to hurt you'' Said the tomboy as she held up her hands in hopes to prove that she meant no harm and was defenseless. In this situation, it was like dealing with a very dangerous wild animal.

Kakashi and the rest of the team came to an abrupt stop a good distance away when the copy ninja halted their advance. ''Stop. We are too late. If we interfere now it could just provoke Naruto and he might turn on Kurotsuchi or on us'' Said Kakashi with an arm extended to block the advance of the team.

Sakura looked on with worry for the girl's safety as Yugao clicked her tongue with impotency for her inability to help.

Sai, on the other hand, had a dilemma. This was the perfect chance to ditch the team and start the real assignment that Danzo-Sama had given him. But the words of Naruto and Kakashi from the day before were still fresh in his mind. To tell the truth, he was very curious to see how this all turned out after Naruto had passionately defended the strength of personal bonds. This was a good chance to see what those bonds were really made of. So with much uncertainty, he decided to stay put and watch.

The Jincuuriki stood motionless on all fours, staring at the Iwa Kunoichi and breathing heavily, but thankfully he hadn't attacked yet.

Kurotsuchi made her best effort to keep a straight face, and she tested the waters by taking a step forward.

This action made the Jinchuuriki give a low threatening growl, but Kurotsuchi still kept her cool.

''Easy there, Naruto. I'm your friend'' Said the girl with caution, and when the boy didn't react again, she felt safe enough to take another step. When the growling didn't continue she kept making her way towards the Jinchuuriki, albeit slowly. ''I know that you are there, Naruto. Listen to me, you have to stop this, you are hurting yourself'' The boy didn't make a move and just continued to stare silently at the approaching girl. ''I know how strong your resolve is, I've seen it before. That's why I'm sure that you can fight back the Kyuubi. Don't let it control you'' Said Kurotsuchi as she stopped directly in front of Naruto, just barely at arm's length.

Naruto looked at Kurotsuchi's gentle pink eyes with his white ones, still not responding as he tilted his head.

''Please Naruto, come back to us. Come back to me'' Finished Kurotsuchi softly as she looked straight at the Jinchuuriki's face.

The tension in the air was almost suffocating as Team Seven watched anxiously the interaction between the girl and her feral friend.

Then, in the blink of an eye Naruto grabbed Kurotsuchi's neck with a clawed hand and pinned her against one of the few remaining trees around.

''He is going to kill her!'' Shouted a worried Yugao.

''We have to do something, Kakashi-Sensei!'' Said Sakura with urgency.

''I know. Wait here, I'm going to flank them'' Said Kakashi as he went on the move. If he was to put the tag he needed to find an angle from which Naruto didn't see him coming.

Kurotsuchi gasped for air as she clasped Naruto's wrist, doing her best effort to push his arm back. She gave a muffled cry of pain when she felt the foul Chakra burning the skin on her neck and it was even filtering through the fabric in her gloves, damaging her hands too. But despite that, she didn't let go of his arm or she could risk getting her windpipe crushed. ''Snap...out...of it'' The girl barely managed to speak. ''You are...stronger than...this. Don't...let the...Kyuubi...consume you''

Naruto put his face closer to the struggling girl before he made a deep howl which caused Kurotsuchi to close her eyes when she felt his breath on her face.

''Naruto...please'' Kurotsuchi pleaded once more as tears were gathering at the corner of her eyes.

the Jinchuuriki gazed at her with an expression akin to curiosity, but before he could do anything else, Kakashi appeared behind him and rapidly smacked him in the forehead with a piece of paper.

''It's done'' muttered Kakashi as Naruto shrieked in rage before he let Kurotsuchi go, who fell to the floor in a fit of violent coughs as she held her aching neck.

Naruto turned around, attempting to get rid of the copy ninja as he used a clawed hand to impale him, only for the Sharingan user to turn into a log. Despite Kakashi not being there anymore, the paper tag appeared to be stuck on the Jinchuuriki's forehead and he screamed as the Chakra started to recede back into the seal on his stomach.

Once the malevolent aura was completely gone, Naruto dropped to the ground, unconscious from the exhaustion and damage that using the Kyuubi's Chakra had caused. The boy had returned to normal, save for his raw pink flesh, as his skin had not fully regrown yet.

''Naruto!'' Yelled Sakura as she arrived along with Yugao and Sai. Once she saw the pitiful state that her teammate was, she brought a hand to her mouth in shock. ''Oh my god! Naruto'' But as the trained medic she was, it only took the pinkette a moment to compose herself and hastily crouched down and rolled Naruto so that his back was on the ground and he was facing up, and with him now in a proper position, she channeled Chakra in her hands before she brought them over the boy to start healing him.

''Uff, that was close'' Said Kakashi as he appeared behind the group, joining them. ''If I hadn't pulled off that last substitution I would have been a goner''

''I'm just glad that you are all okay'' Said Yugao with a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi still sat on the ground coughing into her palms but she winced when she did so. Then, she removed her gloves and threw them aside to inspect her hands to see them colored a hot pink, indicating the severity of her burns. She flexed her fingers, but she had great difficulty in doing so when she felt a sharp pain every time she moved them.

''Sakura, you might want to check on Kurotsuchi first'' Suggested Kakashi. Unlike Kurotsuchi, Naruto had the Kyuubi to help him heal at an abnormal rate, and judging by the state of the girl she might need the attention.

''Forget about me, tend to him first!'' Said Kurotsuchi in a strained voice as she held her throat.

''Are you sure?'' Asked Kakashi.

''He doesn't have skin, for fucks sake! I can deal with the pain, just do it!'' Insisted the tomboy.

Sakura nodded in understanding. She didn't have a problem at all, she would much rather see that her teammate was fine before anyone else.

''How are you, kid?''

When she heard someone talk to her, Kurotsuchi looked up from her place on the ground to see Yugao staring at her with concern marring her features.

''That was a very reckless and stupid thing to do, girl. You could have died'' Yugao scolded the tomboy.

''I know, but I had to do something'' Said Kurotsuchi in a low voice, still having difficult to talk. ''I couldn't stand to see Naruto turning into a mindless beast anymore. He would have done the same for me''

''Maybe, but he is always getting himself into dangerous situations, you know that as well. And If I remember correctly you are always scolding him for it'' Yugao pointed out. ''I didn't expect you to rush in like that. You are usually calculating in your actions except when it comes to Naruto''

''He must be rubbing off on me'' Replied the Iwa Kunoichi, still moving her hand to get used to the stinging sensation.

Yugao rolled her eyes at that. Kurotsuchi could be as dense as Naruto sometimes. However, Yugao frowned when she saw the terrible burns in the shape of a hand around the tomboy's neck.

''Does it really look that bad?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi when she saw the face that Yugao was making.

''Don't worry about it, We'll do something about that'' Yugao reassured her.

The tomboy nodded in understanding as she gently traced the burnt mark on her neck.

''Anyway, let me take a look at your hands'' Requested Yugao.

Kurotsuchi hesitated for a moment before she extended her hands towards the ANBU for her to see.

Yugao took the girl's hands gently, but she could still feel her flinch at her touch. ''This doesn't look good, but luckily is pretty superficial. You will be fine. Still, we should treat them properly'' Said Yugao as she pulled some bandages from her weapons pouch. ''I'll wrap them for you, so just stay put''

Kurotsuchi didn't turn down Yugao's offer, with her wounds she would have trouble handling the bandages by herself.

Seeing that the girl liked the idea, Yugao started wrapping the cloth around the tomboy's petite hands. She carefully passed the bandages over the palm, as well as between and around each finger.

The two women stayed like that for a couple of minutes, but even while she was treated, Kurotsuchi couldn't help but gaze at Naruto with concern in her narrowed eyes. Sakura was still healing him and good portions of his skin had regenerated, but he was still not looking too good.

While she bandaged the tomboy, Yugao noted the look with which Kurotsuchi was staring at the blond Jinchuuriki , and if she hadn't been certain about the girl's affections by now she sure was at this moment. The ANBU knew the face of a woman in love, and Kurotsuchi's current look definitely fit the description. The tender warm look in the worried eyes of the girl was unmistakable. The thought made the older woman sigh once again, she just knew that the feelings that those two were developing were going to bring them trouble in the future, but she tried to focus on her task. It wasn't the moment to be pondering on the teenager's forbidden love.

''Naruto will be fine, Kurotsuchi'' Said the purple-haired woman. ''You should worry about your own wounds''

''I just saw him turn into a monster while his body was breaking down from it. I couldn't possibly care about my own injuries after that'' Replied Kurotsuchi, still keeping her eyes on the still form of Naruto.

Yugao decided to drop the issue and just continue what she was doing, for she knew that Kurotsuchi wasn't going to listen to her.

Sai, for his part, just looked at the whole scene in total confusion. He had refrained from saying or doing anything so far, but that was because he couldn't understand what he just saw. And no, his concern wasn't Naruto's transformation, he was well informed about Jinchuuriki for that to be a surprise. No, what he could not understand were Kurotsuchi's actions. She was supposed to be an enemy, and before he hadn't believed that the friendship that Naruto had with her was genuine. The only logical possibility was that she was fooling the idiot into thinking she was his ally to stab him in the back when it was most convenient to her, but when the boy had gone mad, Sai saw the Iwa Kunoichi run straight into danger to save Naruto. She had risked her life in the effort to return him to normal. And not only that but when things had finally calmed down she denied help in favor of getting assistance for Naruto first. Sai could not comprehend how this was possible, it didn't make any sense for the girl to go so far for Naruto. She was either the best actor that had ever lived, or she was completely honest in her relationship with Naruto. Was this what bonds were supposed to be? Was this the reason why Naruto defended the concept so much? For Sai, this all seemed incredibly nonsensical, but he was oddly fascinated by it. He could not deny that he would like to see more of what these bonds were made of.

After a few minutes, Naruto Finally started opening his eyes again. He blinked slowly, trying to clear his vision and he grunted as he sat up. ''Ouch, my head hurts'' Complained the boy as he rubbed the back of his head.

''Naruto, I'm so happy you are okay'' Said a teary-eyed Sakura.

''Sakura-Chan?'' Asked Naruto in confusion before he noticed the poor state that the forest was in. ''Hey what the hell happened-''

He was cut off when Kurotsuchi came up to him and threw herself into a hug. ''You are an idiot! You had us all worried about you, dumbass!'' Said the girl as she hugged him tightly, glad to finally hear the blond's voice again instead of the awful beastly growls of the Kyuubi.

''Kurotsuchi? What's up?'' Asked Naruto, not understanding what was going on. ''Does this mean you forgive me for the hot springs mess?''

Kurotsuchi broke the embrace to look at him incredulously. Was he seriously concerned about that still after what just had happened?!

''Wait! Kurotsuchi, what happened to you?!'' Asked Naruto in alarm when he noticed the bandages around the girl's neck and hands.

''Uhh?'' Was the only thing that the girl could say. Did he not remember anything?

''It seems that he is experiencing some sort of short-term memory loss'' Added Kakashi. Jiraiya-Sama had been right, every time Naruto lost himself to the fox he lost all memory of when he did so. ''Naruto, what's the last thing you remember?''

Naruto crossed his legs and his arms as he sat trying to recall the previous events. ''We were waiting for a spy, which turned out to be Kabuto. After that, Orochimaru showed up and...Wait that's right! What happened to those bastards?!''

''Orochimaru taunted you and you lost control of the Kyuubi, then you fought him'' Explained Yugao. ''As for Kabuto...Kakashi-Senpai do you know what became of him?''

''I just checked the place where Naruto beat him. He was gone, along with Orochimaru'' Said the copy ninja. ''He must have survived, and with Orochimaru busy fighting Naruto I don't think he liked the odds of facing the rest of us by himself. And Orochimaru mus have used our distraction to flee too''

''Makes sense'' Added Sai.

''Then, Orochimaru is the one that hurt Kurotsuchi!?'' Asked Naruto, angry at the thought of the snake Sannin putting yet another one of his friend's lives at risk.

The group went eerily quiet. They didn't know what to say to the blond in a way that didn't upset him.

''Yes, that asshole is the one that did this'' Said Kurotsuchi, which made everyone look at her with surprise ''I tried to take him on, but I got careless. Thankfully, you got him off my back before he could do more harm, Naruto'' Finished the girl, giving the blond a toothy smile.

''That bastard! Just wait until I find him, I'll make him regret ever messing with us!'' Proclaimed Naruto in anger.

No one dared correct Kurotsuchi's story. If this is what the girl wanted Naruto to think, so be it.

''Well then, we should go after Orochimaru now that we have the chance'' Said Kakashi. ''His scent is still fresh, I can track him down with my hounds. If His base is nearby there is a good chance that Sasuke is with him'' Orochimaru would never stray too far from Sasuke, not when he was training him to become his next vessel.

That last part made Naruto and Sakura look up to the man with hope in their eyes.

''What are we waiting for?! Let's get going!'' Exclaimed Naruto as he stood up, but that only lasted a moment as he lost his strength once more and started to fall.

''Naruto!'' Said a troubled Kurotsuchi, catching Naruto and grunting in pain as she grabbed him with her burned hands as the boy put an arm around her shoulder to support himself. ''What is wrong with him?!''

''It appears that his body is still hurt. I don't think that he will be able to move for a while'' Said Yugao

''In that case, we'll be resting for a bit until Naruto feels better'' Said Kakashi.

''No! I can go on, trust me. We can't let Orochimaru get away!'' Pleaded Naruto as he let go of Kurotsuchi and stood firmly by himself.

Kakashi took a deep breath, and he thought for a little bit before he reluctantly decided to trust Naruto on his word. ''Fine, but if you start feeling unwell don't hesitate to tell us''

''I promise'' Said Naruto with resolution.

''Okay, let's go then'' Said Kakashi before he made some hand seals and brought his palm onto the ground. ''Kuchiyose no Jutsu!(summoning Technique)''

There was a puff of smoke, and when it cleared it revealed Pakkun.

''Yo'' Saluted the small dog. ''I didn't expect to see you guys again so soon''

''Hi again, Pakkun'' Said Yugao.

''Hello again'' Added Sakura.

''Hi'' Said Kurotsuchi

''Pleased to meet you. I'm Sai'' Said the pale boy.

''Same to you. I'm Pakkun'' Responded the dog before he addressed Kakashi again. ''Anyway, what do you need me for, Kakashi?''

''We are tracking down Orochimaru and we need your help'' Answered Kakashi.

''Orochimaru, you say?'' Asked the surprised summon. ''Why are you guys always calling me for such dangerous tasks? I'm not the best option for fighting those kinds of threats''

''You are my best tracker dog'' Said the copy ninja as he pulled a piece of cloth from his pouch. After the Sannin's battle with Naruto, the man had left several pieces of torn clothing all around the place, lucky for them since it was a good source of scent to get a trail. ''Please, Pakkun''

''Fine, fine let me take a good sniff of that'' Said the dog as Kakashi put the cloth in front of him and the dog proceeded to smell it for a moment. ''I got his scent. The trail is very strong, so we should get moving while it still is''

''Right'' Said Kakashi and he turned to the team. ''Let's go!''

And with that, the entire group of people took off trough the forest. Kakashi worried that Naruto could not keep up, but when the boy didn't slow down even after several minutes of traveling, that served to give the copy ninja some peace of mind.

After a while, they left the forest and reached a rocky and arid plain. There were almost no trees around, and the few that were had all dried up. They came to a stop when they saw a body of rocks at the distance. There were plenty of tall rocks all around, but that one caught their attention as it was the only one where there were several put together.

''There it is. The scent is all over that place'' Informed Pakkun. ''I'm guessing that the rocks are covering some kind of underground cavern or base''

''Nice job, Pakkun'' Praised Kakashi. ''You can go now if you want. That's all for now''

''Good luck against Orochimaru. Don't let yourselves get killed'' Said the small pug before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

''Looks like we found Orochimaru's main base of operations in the region'' Said Kakashi as he addressed every single member of the team. ''We have to formulate a plan of action on how to approach this situation. We are talking about Orochimaru here, who knows what we could find in there''

''I propose we infiltrate underground using Doton Jutsu'' Suggested Yugao. ''With Kurotsuchi here, that should not be a-''

The woman was cut off when they heard a thud, and they turned to said tomboy so see here on the ground and holding her head.

''Kurotsuchi, are you okay?!'' Naruto was the first to get to her and helped her get into a sitting position. ''What happened?!''

''I just feel dizzy that's all. It's nothing really, I just need a moment'' Said Kurotsuchi, finding difficulty in keeping her eyes open.

''Sakura, take a look at her'' Kakashi ordered his female student.

''Roger!'' Responded the pinkette before sitting next to the Iwa Kunoichi and removed the bandages around her neck. She widened her eyes when she saw that the burn mark on the girl's skin was emitting some sort of faintly red smoke. The medic quickly got to work and put her Chakra coated hand over the burned flesh, but to her dismay, the wound was barely reacting to the medical Chakra. _''There seems to be a residue of the Kyuubi's Chakra still in the wound, is not letting me heal it properly''_

 _''Is that a handprint?''_ Thought Naruto. Did Orochimaru really do that? It didn't seem like the kind of wound that the Sannin would give.

 _''I see''_ Pondered Sai when he realized what was happening. The remainder of the Kyuubi's Chakra was entering Kurotsuchi's body through her wound, and it contaminated her own Chakra, acting like poison. It was the first time he got to see first hand how a Biju's Chakra could affect someone else but he knew of the phenomenon.

Yugao watched intently as Sakura attempted to treat Kurotsuchi, and in that moment the ANBU decided that something had to be done. ''Naruto, please come with me for a moment'' Said the woman as she turned, preparing to leave.

''Ehh? What for?'' Asked Naruto, preferring to stay by Kurotsuchi's side. And even Kakashi and Sai turned to look curiously at the purple-haired woman.

''You were also low on energy before, right? I don't want what happened to Kurotsuchi to happen to you too, not when we are about to enter Orochimaru's base'' Explained Yugao. ''I know a few seals, and I just happen to have one that will help you with your exhaustion''

''Why can't you just use the seal here?'' Wondered Naruto.

''Because I will need you to strip. So unless you want to do that in front of Sakura and Kurotsuchi you better follow me'' Said Yugao in exasperation.

Naruto bleached at the thought of such humiliation, so he complied. ''Okay, I'm coming'' Said the boy as he stood up.

Yugao nodded before she turned to Kakashi. ''This won't take long''

''Just be careful you two'' Said Kakashi, already suspecting what Yugao was up to.

''I will. Come, Naruto'' Finished Yugao as she walked away with Naruto right behind her.

The ANBU took the boy behind one of the big rocks around the plain, not too far from their team. If they were to run they could reach Kakashi in less than a minute, but it was still far enough to have some privacy.

''Okay, let's get this done so I can go back and see how Kurotsuchi is doing'' Said the Jinchuuriki as he started pulling off his shirt.

''Stop that!'' Said Yugao, halting Naruto and covering her eyes. ''It was a lie, there is no such seal. I didn't take you here for that, but I didn't want Kurotsuchi to suspect anything''

''Suspect? suspect what? And why did you bring me here for if that was just an excuse?'' Asked Naruto, not understanding why the need for such secrecy. Still, seeing that he wasn't stripping down anymore, Yugao unblocked her eyes again.

''I wanted to talk to you about Kurotsuchi'' Said Yugao as she crossed her arms over her chest.

''What about her?'' Asked Naruto.

''Those wounds she has, she lied about how she got them'' Said Yugao, and she could see Naruto's look starting to show a hint of fear, apparently he was starting to catch up. ''Orochimaru didn't do that to her. You are the one who hurt her''

Naruto looked agape at the woman in front of him before he looked down and stared at his hands in horror and disgust. ''I did...that?'' Was he the cause of those ugly burn marks on the girl's neck and hands? He had done it again. First, he almost killed Ero-Sennin, and now he had been so close to ending the life of his best friend. He knew that he wasn't the Kyuubi, but at times like this, it was hard to not feel like the monster he jailed.

''I'm not telling you this so you can mope around feeling bad about yourself'' Said Yugao harshly. ''I just want you to be more careful. That girl cares about you, more than you can imagine. She almost died in vain trying to calm you down''

Naruto couldn't feel worse right now. He had almost murdered a girl that cared about him so much that she even faced the Kyuubi for his sake. Maybe the villagers had been right about him all along, maybe he really was a monster, a ticking time bomb just waiting to explode and kill everyone.

But Yugao wasn't done just yet. ''Remember that Kurotsuchi is not just your friend, she is also next in line for the position of Tsuchikage and also the granddaughter of the current one. If she dies while in our care and by one of our ninja on top of it, that would affect our relationship with Iwa. Things are already very tense among our villages, we don't want to make them worse'' Not to mention that they would lose the only leverage they had against Iwa, but she didn't say that out loud.

''But how can I keep calling myself her friend after what I did. I don't deserve it'' Lamented Naruto with a depressed look.

''That's not for you to decide. she still sees you as her friend, which is all that matters'' Said Yugao, but when she saw the look on Naruto's face she added something else. ''If you really want to make it up to her, try to control yourself from now on so that the Kyuubi can't take advantage of that. If you keep letting a few taunts from a creep tip you off we will be having this same conversation again soon, and the next time we might not be so lucky as this one''

Naruto stayed silent for a few seconds, deep in thought. Yugao was wondering if the boy was even paying attention to her until he finally spoke. ''I understand. I promise I won't let this happen ever again''

Yugao sighed, glad to hear that. ''That was all I wanted to say to you. We should return to Kakashi and the rest or they might start wondering what is taking so long''

Now that they had cleared thing up, both the now mellow boy and the woman made their way back to their group.

When they arrived they saw Sakura finishing bandaging Kurotsuchi's neck once more.

''You guys done?'' Asked Kakashi once he saw the duo come back.

''Yeah. And how is the girl?'' Said Yugao.

''I did all I could'' Answered Sakura. ''I will still have to check on the injuries in the next couple of days to avoid any scarring, but she should be good for the moment''

''I told you I just needed some rest for a moment'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''And what about Naruto's seal?'' Inquired Sai.

''About that, in the end, I determined that Naruto was much better than I expected, so I saw no need to use the seal after all'' Responded Yugao.

''Don't underestimate Naruto and me, we aren't so easy to put down. Right, Naruto?'' Kurotsuchi asked her blond friend.

''Y-Yea, that's right'' Said Naruto in a low voice and it made the girl frown when she also noticed the somber look in his eyes as he avoided making eye contact with her.

''Seeing as everyone is ready, we shall resume our mission'' Said Kakashi catching everyone's attention.

''Have you decided on how are we going to sneak our way in?'' Asked Yugao.

''We'll use your original plan and go underground. I'm guessing that there is a tunnel network just below the surface and Orochimaru has used them to make his base'' Said Kakashi. ''I'll make a passageway for us'' Originally Kakashi would have asked Kurotsuchi to help with that, but with the state that her hands were in he didn't want to make her strain herself too much. Besides, he still knew his fair share of Doton Jutsu himself.

Kakashi walked closer to the rock formation with Team Seven in tow, and when he considered the distance acceptable he made some hand seals. ''Doton: Moguragakure no Jutsu!(Hiding Like A Mole Technique)'' After Kakashi slammed the ground before him, a circular portion of the earth turned to sand and sunk into a hole. After a small entrance was made, the copy ninja jumped down the crevice.

The rest of the team waited patiently for Kakashi's signal, and when they heard the man call to them from down below, one by one they started jumping into the hole too.

''So here we are. Which way do we go?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. They were surrounded by rock walls and the place was pretty dark, the only light they had came from the hole they opened to get there.

''Over there'' Said Yugao pointing at a random wall. ''I can feel chakra signatures from that side''

''But there is wall'' Said Naruto.

''Orochimaru must have grabbed a small portion of these tunnels to make his hideout and he walled off the rest'' Deduced Kakashi as he approached said wall and made hand seals yet again, repeating the previous Jutsu. He put his hands on the wall and after channeling the Chakra the stone turned into sand and he started digging his way through it.

In no time, the neat little tunnel that Kakashi had made, opened the way into a lit corridor. The walls surrounding them had snake-like patterns on them and there were rows of small pedestals with lit candles on them.

''This place looks familiar'' commented Naruto as he looked around.

''That's because it looks just like that base that we infiltrated in the Land of Frost'' Added Kurotsuchi, knowing that it had to mean that they had successfully entered Orochimaru's lair.

''We should split into two teams to cover more ground'' Suggested Kakashi. ''Naruto, Kurotsuchi, and Yugao, you go that way'' Said the Sharingan user, Pointing at one of the paths. ''Be careful though, you don't want to run into Orochimaru''

''So, Sai and I will be coming with you, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Inquired Sakura.

''That's correct. That way both teams will have someone able to scout the rooms before going in. Yugao is a sensor, and Sai can use his Jutsu to check each room individually'' Explained Kakashi. ''Any objections?'' when there were none, the man nodded in approval and turned himself to face another random hallway. ''Good luck to all of us then''

And with that, the two groups went their respective ways.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi followed Yugao silently as the woman peeked around corners to make sure that there were no traps waiting for them, and once she was sure that the path was clear she made a signal with her hand to let the two teenagers know that it was safe to continue. Even if Yugao was a sensor that only worked for people, so she still had to be wary of hidden traps.

''We are close to someone, whoever it is must be a few doors ahead'' Said Yugao as they passed several rows of doors on either side of the hallway.

''Can you tell who it is?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''It is not Orochimaru or Kabuto, that much I can tell you. This chakra doesn't feel like either of them. Is not as dark and twisted as Orochimaru's but is almost just as big, so it can't be Kabuto's either'' Said Yugao.

''So it could be Sasuke's?'' Asked a hopeful Naruto.

''Could be, but I'm not sure. I have met the Uchiha before, but that was a long time ago. A person's Chakra signature can change drastically with the right amount of time'' Explained the ANBU. The last time she had met Sasuke was when he had been a child, she was the one who found him the night of his clan's assassination actually. Anyway, whoever this person was had a very cold Chakra.

The three of them continued their course until Yugao stopped in front of a certain door.

''It's here'' Said Yugao in a whisper. ''Just behind this door is our mysterious person. It could be Sasuke''

Kurotsuchi turned to look at the door in anticipation as she adopted a serious demeanor. While Naruto looked on with determination.

 _''I finally found you, Sasuke. And this time, I'm definitely bringing you back''_ Though the boy in resolution before he took a step forward and gently pushed the door open.

''Are you here, Sasuke?!'' Shouted Naruto at the darkness in the room.

Kurotsuchi and Yugao also looked inside and they could barely see anything, but one could definitely make out the shape of a bed at the end of the room and there was a figure laying on it.

''Is that Naruto I hear?''

They flinched when they saw the shadowy figure starting to sit up on the mattress before he turned to look at them and they found themselves staring into a red-blood Sharingan.

''It is you, Sasuke!'' Said Naruto in excitement. After all these years, to finally see his lost friend made him feel happiness at having his dream of reuniting Team Seven again. ''We came to bring you back to Konoha''

''Did you now?'' Said Sasuke, still not moving from his place in the bed. ''I thought I made it clear that I was done with Konoha''

''How can you say that?!'' Asked Naruto. ''Me, Sakura-Chan, Kakashi-Sensei, we all have been looking all this time for you! You are an important part of Team Seven, you are our comrade, our friend!''

''That is in the past. You are nothing more than vague memories to me. There is nothing here for you'' Said Sasuke.

Kurotsuchi grinded her teeth in anger. she could not stand listening to this shithead anymore. Here they were breaking their ass trying to save the Uchiha and the fucker told them to piss off?! ''Now listen to us you inconsiderate asshole! We have come a long way to get you because Naruto considers you his best friend! This is all for your benefit so Orochimaru doesn't use you as his skin suit! So be a good little Uchiha and come-'' Kurotsuchi's words died in her mouth when she felt the edge of a blade barely gracing her throat.

 _''He is fast!''_ Thought Yugao in shock. She didn't even notice when Sasuke got in the middle of the three of them.

 _''I didn't see him move!''_ Kurotsuchi added mentally, being careful to not make any sudden movements, not while she had the Uchiha's blade on her neck.

''I don't know who you are, and to be frank I don't care. But talk to me like that again and the next time I won't stay my hand'' Sasuke warned the tomboy, still keeping his blade in place as he calmly stood just between Naruto's group. Then, the Uchiha put his other free hand on Naruto's shoulder but he didn't bother to look at him. ''Instead of running around with Iwa Shinobi while looking for me, you should have spent that time training to become Hokage, Naruto''

''If I can't save my friend I don't deserve to become Hokage'' Replied Naruto, surprisingly keeping himself calm in the situation.

''We are friends no more. Did our last battle not make that clear to you?'' Said Sasuke.

''If you really wanted to break our bond, why didn't you kill me back then?!'' Asked Naruto, raising his voice again.

''I almost did. The only reason I let you live was because you were out of my way already'' Explained Sasuke.

Kurotsuchi glared coldly at Sasuke with murderous eyes. The Uchiha even had the gall to claim that he tried to kill Naruto back then as if it was nothing, as if the blond didn't matter.

After that, Sasuke continued. ''Naruto, since you don't appear to understand me no matter what I do, maybe I ought to finish what I started back then'' Concluded Sasuke and in an instant he took his hand off Naruto's shoulder before he coated it in lightning and tried to bring it down again but this time aiming at the blond's back.

Kurotsuchi was the first to react, and she quickly ducked under the blade still on her neck before she twisted her body with a kick aimed at the raven-haired man.

However, Sasuke was much faster, and first he interrupted his previous attack at Naruto before he lowered his body and caught Kurotcushi's kick with his free hand and used the momentum of the blow to give a sharp twist, lifting the girl off the floor as he swung her at Naruto's chest, sending the two of them flying towards the wall on the corridor.

At the same time, Yugao took out her own sword and gave a swing aimed to incapacitate Sasuke.

The Uchiha didn't waste time, and with sword still in hand, he intercepted Yugao's blade with his own lightning-coated one.

Yugao widened her eyes in shock when she saw her blade being sliced like butter when it clashed against Sasuke's.

As the woman staggered in her surprise, the boy took the chance to give a mighty side kick at the stomach of the ANBU.

Yugao felt her breath leave her lungs as she was hurled back and was slammed against Kurotsuchi and Naruto in the far wall. The power of the blow was such that when Yugao collided with them, they all went trough the concrete and ended up in another room.

Kurotschi stood before the other two could, as Yugao was still coughing due to the lack of oxygen and Naruto was squirming on the floor since he was the one to take most of the brunt force.

Kurotsuchi glanced around and she noticed that the room they were in was vastly bigger than the rest they had seen until now. The room was gigantic, it was easily the size of a stadium. She saw numerous pillars serving as support all around, and in the distance, resting against another wall, was a giant snake made of stone. It was obvious that this room was some kind of training grounds in the facility.

''You are weak''

Kurotsuchi looked at the hole that they had made in the wall and saw Sasuke following after them in a reserved stride.

''If this is the caliber of ninja that the hidden villages have to offer I'm glad that I left when I did'' Said Sasuke, finally stopping at the distance to regard them once more.

Finally, Kurotsuchi had a good look of the Uchiha. Before she had just been able to see the silhouette of his dark unruly hair. But now she could make out his features much better. Aside from the black hair and black eyes he also had fair skin and was fairly tall. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt that was open at the chest, had dark pants with a piece of purple cloth covering him from the waist to the knees that he kept in place with a thick purple rope-like belt jus like the one Orochimaru used.

''You cock-sucking piece of shit! don't you see that we are not your enemies here? You bastard!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi before she was forced to dodge a stream of concentrated lightning that Sasuke wielded on his hand like a spear.

''I warned you about your tone'' Said Sasuke coldly before he ducked to avoid a punch from Yugao who had managed to sneak up on him. But Sasuke didn't falter and turned around throwing kicks and punches of his own.

Yugao did her best to dodge as she gracefully moved from side to side with the occasional ducking, but Taijutsu wasn't her forte and without her sword it didn't take long for her to receive a kick in the chin that sent her soaring.

When Sasuke felt his kick connect, he vanished from sight before he reappeared in the air just behind the airborne ANBU. He spun around in the air, landing three consecutive kicks to Yugao's stomach which sent her pummeling towards Kurotsuchi and Naruto once more but this time, he didn't leave it at that and promptly made some hand seals. ''Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu!(Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)'' With that, the Uchiha spat a volley of fireballs all directed towards the falling ANBU and her two companions on the floor.

Kurotsuchi acted fast, and she gave a small jump to catch Yugao in the air before she put her down on the floor next to Naruto. With her comrades in position, the tomboy slammed her hands on the ground, erecting a dome of stone that caged them inside to protect them from the fireballs,and she did so successfully when the fire attack failed to even make a dent.

Kurotsuchi sighed in relief at having avoided being scorched alive and tried to think of a strategy now that they had some respite with the dome acting like a barrier. But that was not to be when the tomboy heard what sounded like a thousand birds chirping at the same time.

It was then that Naruto finally got up, knowing the sound of that particular Jutsu, he pushed Kurotsuchi to the floor, but when he did so a blade covered in lightning pierced the rock dome and went directly into the blond's shoulder, making him yell in agony as the current of electricity entered his body.

Kurotsuchi looked up in dread at the tip of the metal blade staring right at her through Naruto's shoulder as the blond continued his pained screams and the droplets of blood leaking from the wound stained her face.

That only lasted a few seconds before the blade retracted from the dome, leaving a gaping wound on Naruto as he fell over the tomboy in exhaustion.

''Hang in there, Naruto! Don't you dare die on me or I'll never forgive you, I swear!'' Shouted the upset girl as she shook the boy on top of her to get any kind of response but to no avail, as he had apparently passed out due to the shock from the lightning Chakra.

She hoped that the bastard of the Uchiha had finally left them alone but it didn't take long until she heard Sasuke's voice muttering something else from outside their stone shelter.

''Katon: Goryuka no Jutsu!(Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique)'' an instant later, something big and powerful struck the earth dome and shattered in a million pieces as the occupants were sent flying again while they felt the uncomfortable heat from whatever technique Sasuke had used, but thankfully they were mostly unharmed as the shelter had protected them one last time since it took almost all the blow from the Jutsu.

Yugao pushed herself up from her position on the ground before she turned to the Uchiha in the distance who was currently looking at them uncaringly. The ANBU took a moment to glance at her teammates just to see them still struggling to stand up again. _''This is bad, the Uchiha is much better than we had anticipated''_ Not to mention that Naruto and Kurotsuchi had already been tired and sore even before they arrived they arrived. Fighting against someone so skilled when they were already weakened put them in a bad position.

''It's time to put an end to this pitiful fight, Chidori!(One Thousand birds)'' Said Sasuke as he started rushing at them with amazing speed, aiming at the downed Naruto and Kurotsuchi.

Yugao saw Sasuke coming for the two teenagers and she swiftly got up and put herself in front of the duo. As an ANBU, she would protect her team even if she had to be their shield. The woman narrowed her eyes in anticipation for the blow when she saw Sasuke almost upon them, but in a moment she noticed a blur from the corner of her eye and found herself staring at the form of Kakashi, with his Sharingan uncovered, holding Sasuke by his Chidori arm and keeping him from advancing any further.

Sasuke didn't show any emotion, not even surprise, as he eyed his former teacher in a relaxed manner. ''Kakashi. So you were here too after all'' Was the only comment of the Uchiha as he kept locking eyes with the copy ninja.

''Nice to see you again, Sasuke'' Replied Kakashi, still keeping a firm grip on the raven-haired boy's arm.

''Sasuke-Kun!'' Sakura yelled after her former teammate as she entered the large room with Sai right behind her. ''Sasuke-Kun, please stop this! We just want you to be with us like a family again'' Pleaded the medic once more.

''Family, you say? My family is dead and I will kill the one responsible by myself'' Said Sasuke as he regarded Sakura with a cold gaze. ''You are as annoying as ever, Sakura. You haven't changed at all, you are still the same weak little girl I left crying in the park that night''

''Sasuke-Kun...'' Said Sakura with tears in her eyes, not understanding how Sasuke could say such cruel things.

''Sasuke, when I taught you the Chidori I told you that it was meant to be a weapon to defend your comrades and was never to be used against them'' Said Kakashi with a glare and a dangerous tone of voice. ''You disappoint me''

''I don't have comrades anymore, that's what you all don't seem to get!'' Shouted Sasuke, getting progressively more irritated as he grabbed his sword with his other hand and tried to slash the copy ninja, but Kakashi managed to catch the other hand too by the wrist. ''This is a good thing. I've been wondering for a while if your Sharingan can keep up with mine, Kakashi. So let's find out.

Sakura closed her eyes before she opened them again in resolution. She had made a vow before that she was going to help get back Sasuke with her own strength and she was going to do it even if she had to fight the boy she loved. With her mind made up, Sakura ran towards Sasuke, fist ready to pummel him until he could not move anymore.

When Sai saw Sakura charge in, he unsheathed his Tanto and also rushed for the Uchiha.

Sasuke saw the two other coming, and he promptly absorbed the still active Chidori in his hand and channeled it through his entire body. ''Chidori Nagashi!(Chidori Current)'' Lighting started coming out from every side of the Uchiha, catching the approaching Sakura and Sai and sending them flying back.

Kakashi also had to let go of Sasuke and grunted in pain at the contact with the attack before he was replaced by a log in a puff of smoke.

Sasuke dropped his Jutsu and got himself into a guard stance looking around for Kakashi.

Suddenly, the earth bellow exploded and Kakashi came out of it, fist extended, which caught Sasuke in the chin, drawing blood and making him grunt in pain. Kakashi didn't stop there and took the chance to kick the Uchiha in the stomach with his knee, making the Uchiha double over in pain before giving him another kick that sent him rolling along the ground.

''We are going to take you back one way or another, Sasuke'' Said Kakashi, positioning himself in a fighting stance. ''You can come with us the easy way or the hard way. Your choice''

''Don't get carried away just because you got one solid hit on me'' Said Sasuke as he began to stand up, his hair shadowing his face. ''I'll show my power, the power of my hatred! Let's see you underestimate me then!'' finished the Uchiha as he lifted his head and they could see that a portion of his face had turned gray while one of his eye's sclera got black.

the reactions of Team Seven at Sasuke's aspect were varied. Kakashi narrowed his eyes, disgusted at how low his student was willing to fall for power; Sakura covered her mouth with one hand, horrified at was she was seeing; while Yugao, Kurotsuchi, and Sai looked in shock at the bizarre form.

''I think that's far enough for now, Sasuke-Kun''

Everyone turned around to look at the source of the voice to find Orochimaru standing at the entrance of the room alongside Kabuto.

''Orochimaru, don't get in my way'' Said Sasuke in anger, but nonetheless, he still allowed himself to return to normal.

''Don't forget proper etiquette, Sasuke-Kun. This is not the way to treat guests'' Responded Orochimaru with a sly smirk.

''Guests? hardly. These are pests'' Insisted the irate Uchiha.

''And I would normally agree with you, but I'm afraid I have to insist that you stand down'' Said Orochimaru as he and Kabuto slowly joined Sasuke at his side of the room.

''They already managed to eliminate Sasori for us'' Added Kabuto. ''Killing them would be a waste, especially if they could continue to get rid of a few more members of Akatsuki''

''Think about it, Sasuke-Kun'' Elaborated Orochimaru. ''If you want to get to Itachi you'll need his partners in Akatsuki to be out of your way. By letting Naruto-Kun and his friends deal with a few more members also serves to help your goals''

''Hmmp, fine'' Said Sasuke, putting hos swords away. It wasn't like his former comrades were worth his time anyway.

''No, wait!''

Naruto caught everyone's attention, who now had just barely managed to stand, if albeit barely.

''You are not getting away again, Sasuke!'' Exclaimed the blond, but despite his bravado he stumbled just by trying to walk. Seeing this, Kurotsuchi approached him and managed to wrap one of his arms around her shoulders in support before she turned to glare defiantly at the renegade Uchiha, silently blaming him for the state that the blond was in.

''Just give it up, Naruto'' Kabuto mocked the Jinchuuriki. ''Sasuke is with us now. You should count your blessings that we are letting you go''

''But I'm not letting you go!'' Repeated Naruto.

''That's right! If you think we are just going to let you walk away again you got another thing coming!'' Added Sakura.

''How amusing it is that you actually think that you can stop us. Still, as much as I would love to stay to keep talking nonsense with you all, I'm afraid that is time for Sasuke-Kun and I to go'' Said the snake Sannin before everyone in the room heard a series of thundering noises somewhere in the base as the ground began to shake violently.

Team Seven looked around perplexed, and Kakashi widened his eyes in alarm. ''He is going blow up the place!'' Informed the copy ninja.

''Indeed. This base has been compromised, there is no use to keep it around any longer'' Said Orochimaru with a wicked smirk as the sounds grew louder. ''But please do make it out alive, I need you to keep killing Akatsuki for me''

''So long'' Added Kabuto before he, Orochimaru, and Sasuke vanished into thin air just as a large chunk of rock fell from the ceiling to where they had been standing.

''Everyone, get out of here, now!'' Yelled Yugao at the rest of her team.

''Yugao-San, help me with Kurotsuchi, I'll carry Naruto!'' Said Kakashi, noticing that the two teenagers were the ones in the worst shape out of all of them. Kakashi picked up the blond and Yugao didn't waste time to do the same with the tomboy.

And with that, all of Team Seven rushed out of the enormous room as pieces of concrete continued to fall all around them. They backtracked as fast at they could, dodging debris left and right until they saw the same hole in the wall from where they entered the base in the first place...

Once they all came out of the hole they used to infiltrate the underground facility and were all out in the open, the group collapsed to the ground in exhaustion taking solace that they could breath fresh air again, but they still could not help themselves from watching the rocky formation in the distance that used to cover the entrance to Orochimaru's base. They saw the structure sank underground, crumbling over the tunnels below along with their efforts to save Sasuke.

By the time the explosions had stopped, the great rocks hiding the base from the world were no more than a big pile of rubble.

''We made it out'' commented Yugao with a sigh of relief. ''Still, with Kabuto and the Uchiha free from our grasp, we could consider the mission a failure''

''There was not much we could have done'' Added Kakashi. ''I'm just glad that my team is safe''

Then, a loud smash was heard and they saw Naruto punching the ground in impotence. ''Again. I failed again. Sasuke's strength is so above mine that I couldn't do anything'' Said the blond as he doubled over the ground as he stained the soil with his tears. ''Why did I train so hard for?! Sasuke is right, I'm just a loser, a weakling!''

Sakura joined her teammate in his dispair as she too started to cry in silence when their failure had fully dawned on her, and even Kakashi was staring in melancholy at the distance with a lost look in his eye. Even the usually stoic Sai seemed to be gloomy.

Kurotsuchi eyed Naruto with concern in her eyes, feeling powerless when she could not think of anything to say or do to make the blond feel better. However, after a moment she clenched her fists, angry that Naruto had to spill tears for someone that didn't deserve them.

Finally, Kakashi approached Naruto and put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder. ''Don't give up just yet. We'll get Sasuke next time'' Said the copy ninja with an eye smile. ''We'll save Sasuke, even if it is from himself''

Sakura rubbed off the tears in her eyes before she followed her teacher's example and put on a strong face. ''As Kakashi-Sensei says, there will be another chance to get Sasuke-Kun. As long as we work together I'm sure that we'll make him return to us''

Naruto lifted his head to look at his team, gratitude present in his blue gaze. ''Guys...''

''Count me in'' Said Sai as he came over to them, garnering him surprised stares from everyone. ''I want to help you, and I think you have a better chance with more people'' Finished the ROOT member with a genuine smile.

''Thank you, Sai'' Said Sakura, giving a grateful smile of her own to the pale boy.

Naruto didn't expect Sai to volunteer in helping them bring back Sasuke, but he could not complain and he too shot the odd Shinobi a grin. Maybe Sai wasn't so bad after all. He didn't understand what brought this change in the stoic boy's personality, but he didn't mind.

''Well, I'm technically not part of Team Seven'' Said Yugao, taking everyone's attention. ''But If I'm around by the time you face the Uchiha again I'll give you a hand''

This all served to lift Naruto's spirits again. Maybe they hadn't been successful this time, but having everyone's support gave him hope for a more positive result in the future.

''If we are all done here we should make our way back'' Said Kurotsuchi sternly, interrupting the rest of the group. ''Orochimaru is gone, along with four-eyes and the Uchiha. We have nothing more to do here, so let's go''

''Why are you angry?'' Asked Naruto with concern, noting the scowl and the harshness in the girl's face.

''I just want to get out of here'' Said Kurotsuchi, sounding just as upset as before. In her opinion, she had all the right to be furious. They had almost died trying to retrieve a piece of shit that didn't even want their help in the first place, they were forced to retreat with their tails between their legs all while wounded, bruised, and battered, and they still were vowing to try to save the Uchiha again?! They could try if they wanted, but Kurotsuchi wasn't going to participate, and if she ever had any say in it, she wouldn't let Naruto go after that asshole either.

Naruto and company silently watched the Iwa Kunoichi, trying to figure out what was wrong with her, that was until Kakashi spoke again.

''Kurotsuchi has a point'' Said the copy ninja. ''We are done here. We should return at once''

No one could disagree with their leader, and they proceeded to follow the Sharingan user as he led them in the direction to Grass Country from where they had come from. Some having more difficulty than others in keeping up due to their injuries, namely Naruto and Kurotsuchi. But despite that, both teenagers managed to follow everyone's pace, even if they ended up in the back of the unit.

As they moved, Naruto glanced at the girl running beside him, pondering on what had her so thoughtful and mad, she didn't even look at him or try to start a conversation. He wondered if this was because of what he did to her when he lost control of the Kyuubi, which he could not blame her if she did. Heck, even Naruto was never going to forgive himself for that, and he still needed to apologize to the girl, not because it would help him feel better- it wouldn't- but because it was the very least he could do, he would think about of other things to do later to keep making amends, but right now apologizing was a start. One thing was for sure though, he was going to have to talk with her and find out what was wrong.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Told you this chapter's length was going to make up for the last one's shortness, and holy shit is it long! Is the longest I have ever written in fact! (Over 14k words!)**

 **I'm overwhelmed, I feel like a lot of things happened in this chapter, and that's because they kind of did.**

 **To be honest, I can't think of much to say right now, the chapter left me kind of tired :P**

 **Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed it, and please leave a review or a PM if you have the time!(And you want to, of course)**

 **So until next time!**


	22. Chapter 22: Together We Improve

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 22: Together We Improve

Naruto, along with Kurotsuchi, Yugao, and Sakura were currently waiting for Kakashi in the lobby of the same hotel near Grass Country that they had stayed previously two days ago. After their failed mission, Kakashi insisted that the team needed a bit of time to regain their full strength, especially when they had not totally recovered from their injuries.

Naruto glanced at Kurotsuchi who was sitting on a couch beside him alongside Sakura and Yugao. the girl looked calm enough as she made small talk with her ANBU guardian but Naruto was sure that she was still upset since she had yet to talk to him, and he would sometimes catch her looking at him with a frown before dodging his gaze and pretend she hadn't been doing anything. He suspected that she was avoiding him and that perplexed him as he didn't know why. His best guess was that she could not see him the same way after the Kyuubi incident, but she had talked to him just fine after that. Maybe she had been trying to make herself get over it but she could not help but resent him deep down? That was a very real possibility, what he had done to her was unforgivable. But if that was the case that was more of a reason to try and speak to her to see how he could make it up to her.

Naruto's thoughts were interrupted when Kakashi approached the group after just finishing talking to the hotel manager.

''Sorry to keep you waiting, guys'' Said the copy ninja, getting the attention of the team as the man held two keys in his hand. ''Got our rooms. I didn't think that the manager would let us stay again after the damage that the hot springs sustained last time. I'm glad I was wrong''

Naruto coughed in his hand, trying to hide his shame at the mention of the hot springs incident.

''Finally, we were starting to consider just going somewhere else'' Said Kurotsuchi, getting up from her seat while Sakura, Naruto, and Yugao mimicked her action.

''Tell me about it'' Sakura agreed with the tomboy.

''Wait a minute, where is Sai?'' Inquired the copy ninja when he didn't see the ROOT member among them.

''He said he wanted to check out the local library and would return later, or something like that'' Explained Yugao.

The copy ninja gave a shrug. ''Well, I'm sure he can catch up with us later. In the meantime, you should all go to your rooms'' Said Kakashi as he handed a key to Naruto and Sakura.

''But aren't you coming, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Wondered Sakura after she noticed how Kakashi didn't include himself.

''I have something to discuss with Yugao, you guys can go ahead'' Explained the Sharingan user. ''The rooms are close to the ones we got last time, so they should be easy to find''

The teenagers looked intently at Kakashi, feeling curious on what the older ninjas were going to talk about. Still, they complied and went away, leaving the two adults alone.

''So why did you need me for, Kakashi-Senpai?'' Asked Yugao, also wondering why the Sharingan user needed to talk to her alone.

''There is something else that I must do'' Said Kakashi. ''I have to leave for most of the day, so I want you to be in charge while I'm gone''

''This I did not expect'' Said Yugao. ''I don't mean to pry, Kakashi-Senpai, but what is it so important that you have to go separated from us and be so secretive about it on top of it?''

Kakashi looked around them, making sure that no one was within earshot, this was supposed to be classified but Yugao had a right to know, at least the gist of it. ''I have to complete a task that Tsunade-Sama gave me. It regards our little problem with Iwa'' Explained Kakashi with seriousness and that made Yugao widen her eyes in comprehension. It made sense, if this had to do with their retaliation on Iwa they could not let Kurotsuchi know about it as they didn't know how she might react. So the only option left was for one of their group to take care of it discreetly, in this case, it was Kakashi since he had been the one entrusted with it.

''I see...''Said Yugao somberly. So it was almost time to get Iwa to answer for their attempt on Naruto's life. She wanted justice for the boy and all, but she also hoped that things didn't get out of hand. The last thing she wanted was another war.

''I'm sorry, Yugao-San. I know that you already have your hands full keeping watch on Kurotsuchi, but this needs to be done'' Said Kakashi. ''Besides, I doubt that she will give you trouble. She is a good girl''

Yugao took a deep breath, accepting that responsibility. ''Very well, I'll look over the team in your absence. Just try to not take too long''

''I should be back before the day is over'' Replied Kakashi, already turning to leave as he didn't want to waste any time. ''See you soon, Yugao-San''

''Good luck, Kakashi-Senpai'' Finished Yugao.

Kakashi gave her one last look before he exited the hotel and went on his way. He didn't expect to take long, he just had to take the special Kunai that the Hokage had given to him and place it around Kannabi Outpost, and the place wasn't far from there. However, getting so close to the area where he lost Obito in the last war was sure to bring back painful memories, he was a ninja and he had to leave aside such thoughts while on a mission but that didn't mean that he was looking forward to it.

After Yugao saw Kakashi take off, she let out another sigh before she went to find her room and see what the girls were up to.

Naruto was laying on the floor, resting his head on a small pillow and staring at the ceiling of his room, bored out of his mind. Without Sai and Kakashi with him, there was no one to talk to considering that the girl's room was kept separate. Without nothing to do, he found himself reflecting back to his encounter with Sasuke.

The blond still had trouble accepting the fact that Sasuke had attacked Team Seven so uncaringly which once had been like a second family to him. He had been ready to kill them if they got in his way. Sasuke had always been cold and distant, but he had never been him like that, not to that degree. He acted even worse than when he fought Naruto in the valley of the end.

At least in their battle three years ago he had almost managed to reach Sasuke's feelings, but in the end, the Uchiha swallowed his reservations and fought Naruto with a heavy heart. But this time Sasuke barely even reacted when he saw his old team, like they didn't matter.

 _''What happened to you, Sasuke?''_ Thought Naruto with melancholy. Could he catch up to Sasuke before it was too late? He frowned when another thought came to his head: What if Sasuke ended up killing him? The idea was morbid, but Naruto couldn't deny that the possibility was there. Sasuke had not held back at all against them, and he had been about to use the same bizarre form of the cursed seal that he used to fight the one-tailed Chakra cloak until Orochimaru stopped him. Even Kurotsuchi had almost taken a Chidori-infused sword to the chest if Naruto hadn't taken the blow for her.

That was another thing, now what he was thinking about Kurotsuchi he went back to visualizing the horrible burn marks on her neck. He had put her at risk, she had come into very real danger in several occasions throughout their entire mission and he had been unable to protect her. Heck, he had been one of the dangers she had faced. Naruto felt impotent at being so weak that he could not protect his precious people. He had a long way to catch up to Sasuke, in fact, he was starting to believe that Sai had been right about Kurotsuchi being stronger than him, if he didn't take the Kyuubi into account she could probably beat him no problem. Which wasn't surprising, she was an amazing girl in his opinion; she was strong, she was talented, she was accomplished in her Shinobi career, she had the potential to become Tsuchikage, she came from a good family, she was pretty, and most importantly, she was a great friend.

Naruto frowned, realizing how different Kurotsuchi and he were. He was still a Genin, was a dead last, he had no talent whatsoever, and was a nobody, just a random orphan. How could they be friends? He wasn't in her league, not even close. It was no wonder that she didn't want to talk to him anymore, not after betraying her trust when he almost killed her, and especially when she had been trying to help him, of course she would not want to see him after that.

Naruto rubbed his face, wondering why things had to be so complicated. Still, he resolved that staying here and doing nothing aside from feeling sorry was not going to fix anything, so he decided to go look for Kurotsuchi and have a talk with her, it wasn't like he had better things to do, and he owed her at least that much.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi and the rest were in the girl's room, and the tomboy was currently sitting on the floor of their small square room, wincing uncomfortably at Sakura's touch as the medic wrapped a new set of bandages around her neck yet again.

''How is the healing process going?'' Asked Yugao, sitting next to the two teenagers as she watched Sakura work on the burns.

''She is looking much better'' Said Sakura, adding an extra layer of cloth to the wound. ''Thankfully the Kyuubi's Chakra has almost faded from the injury, it seems. I won't be able to heal it completely until it is, though. So you will have to endure it for another day or so, Kurotsuchi-San'' The fox's Chakra was insane. It had been almost a day since Kurotsuchi got hurt, and there were still remnants of the aura lingering around.

''Are you sure it won't scar?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi, worried that she might have a permanent mark marring her skin for the rest of her life.

''As long as you let me finish the treatment when the Chakra is completely gone you should be fine, don't worry'' Reassured Sakura as she finished giving the last touch to the bandages. ''All done!''

Kurotsuchi brought a hand to her neck and rubbed it gently, inspecting the pinkette's handiwork, and as expected, she had done a fine job.

''Thanks for the help'' Said Kurotsuchi, giving the medic a smile of gratitude.

''Don't mention it'' Replied Sakura, waving off the compliment in modesty. ''Seeing that my job here is done, I think that I'm going to take a dip at the hot springs'' Declared the medic as she stood up and stretched her arms. ''Last time we were here I was too tired to enjoy the bath as well as I should'' She also didn't mention it, but she needed to relax and get her mind to stop tormenting her about Sasuke and their inability to make him return.

''Just make sure that Naruto is not there too. You don't want him attempting to take a peek'' Joked Yugao as she saw Sakura get a clean towel from one of the drawers.

''Don't remind me. I can't believe the idiot tried that'' Said Sakura with a grimace before she turned to Kurotsuchi. ''I still don't know why you didn't hurt him more than you did''

''I guess I was feeling merciful'' Said Kurotsuchi with a smile getting into the joke, but at being reminded of the blond she was quick to drop her good humor and stared at the ground with a scowl.

''That you are. If it had been me he would not have left the hospital for a month'' Said Sakura as she opened the sliding door. ''Anyway, I'll be back later. Bye!''

''Enjoy your bath'' Said Yugao with a wave of her hand.

''Yeah, you do that'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly.

Once Sakura was gone, Yugao regarded Kurotsuchi. She had noticed for a while that the girl was behaving kind of off, and she intended to know what happened.

''Is there something bothering you?'' Asked Yugao with concern.

''What do you mean?'' Responded Kurotsuchi, playing dumb.

''You have been acting weird ever since we came back from the mission. Care to explain?'' Said the ANBU.

''It's nothing'' Answered Kurotsuchi, but the dull way in which she said so didn't convince the older woman.

''It's about Naruto, isn't it?'' Asked Yugao, and when she saw the girl's frown deepen at the mention of the boy she knew that she had guessed correctly. _''Of course it is. It is always about Naruto with you''_ Thought the ANBU with a deadpan expression. ''You don't have to tell me if you don't want, but know that I want to help if I can''

''It's not that I don't want to discuss it'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Is just that...''

The girl was interrupted when they heard a sudden knock on the door to their room. Yugao got up from her place on the floor and approached the sliding door and opened it to find a nervous Naruto on the other side.

''Naruto?'' Said Yugao in surprise, she had not been expecting his visit. Kurotsuchi looked towards them when she heard Yugao mention the boy's name.

''Hi'' Greeted Naruto with a bit of reservation. ''Is Kurotsuchi in the room?''

''Yes she is'' Said Yugao. ''Do you want to talk to her?''

''Yeah, about that, I wanted to see if I could talk to her in private'' Responded Naruto sheepishly with a hand on his neck.

''Naruto, you know that I have to stay by her side at all time, right?'' Yugao reminded the blond.

''I know that, but I will be with her. Also, we are not in Konoha, no one will know that you left her alone for a few minutes'' Said Naruto with both hands put together in a supplicating manner. ''Please!''

Yugao sighed in exasperation. She knew that Naruto was obstinate and would not leave her alone until she complied. But the boy did have a point, her fellow ANBU weren't around to see her turn her back to the girl for a moment. Kakashi trusted the Iwa girl and Yugao herself didn't think Kurotsuchi would try anything, and she would be with Naruto on top of it. Still, she wanted to make sure that Kurotsuchi wanted to be left alone with Naruto in the first place, so she turned her head towards Kurotsuchi to see what she thought of it.

The tomboy, who was already on her feet, had heard everything and she did not have a problem at all, it wasn't like she was actively running away from Naruto either. So she proceeded to nod at Yugao in agreement, confirming that she was fine with the notion.

Once Yugao had the girl's approval she turned to look at Naruto again who was still anxiously waiting for an answer.

''Fine, you can see her by yourself, but I will be outside in case either of you needs me'' Said Yugao.

''Thank you so much, Yugao-San!'' Exclaimed Naruto happily.

''Don't stress over it, is no big deal'' Said Yugao as she stepped aside to let Naruto in. ''Go ahead, kid''

Naruto nodded before stepping into the room as Yugao left the two teenagers alone to sort their issues out.

After the two were left isolated, they stood awkwardly for a few seconds as Naruto fidgeted and Kurotsuchi stared at the floor.

''Hey there, Kurotsuchi'' Greeted Naruto as he slowly approached her.

''Hi, Naruto'' Said Kurotsuchi, still not meeting his eyes with hers.

''I just wanted to speak to you since we haven't talked in awhile, so I just wanted to...you know, catch up and stuff...'' Said Naruto with uncertainty, but he realized he was beating around the bush and decided to go straight to the point. ''I know you have been avoiding me''

Kurotsuchi lowered her gaze even further as a look of guilt-tainted her features when she heard Naruto mention that.

Naruto noticed the change in Kurotsuchi's expression and he knew he had hit the nail on the head. _''She does have been avoiding me''_ Though the blond in sadness. She really was mad at him.

''In that case, I needed to say that I wanted to make it up to you'' Said Naruto. ''I know you are angry at me and you are in your right to be, so just let me-''

''I'm not angry with you, Naruto'' Declared Kurotsuchi, but she was still not looking at him.

''You aren't?'' Inquired Naruto, perplexed by the girl's statement. If she wasn't angry why was she acting like this?

''I'm not. That's not the reason why I have been avoiding you'' Said Kurotsuchi as she started pacing around the room. ''I'm annoyed at something else, but I knew that you would ask me what is bothering me, and first I wanted to find the right words to tell you''

''Tell me what? You know that whatever it is that is worrying you I can help you with that. Before, we already agreed that we would solve these kinds of things together, right?'' Said Naruto.

Kurotsuchi stopped walking around to finally look at the blond, she gave a deep sigh, preparing herself for the topic she was going to touch, as she knew it was a very sensible one among Team Seven. She had been avoiding Naruto to try and find a way to tell him this in a more tactful manner, but fine, if he wanted to talk about it now she would say it as it is. ''You have to stop chasing after the Uchiha'' Said the girl with a straight face.

''What?! That's what has you all worked up about?'' Asked Naruto in disbelief.

''Of course it has me worked up!'' Said the tomboy. ''If anything, you guys should be too!''

''Sasuke is a part of our team, a friend, and comrade. We can't give up trying to save him just because we failed one time!'' Insisted the blond.

Kurotsuchi groaned in exasperation. This is exactly the kind of reaction she had been fearing. ''Naruto, listen to me. I know he was your friend, I get that you two were close. But that was in the past, he is no longer the same person you knew, he doesn't consider any of you his comrades''

''I can make him change his mind! With everyone's help, we can convince Sasuke that we do care about him and that coming back to us is worth it'' Said Naruto.

''Naruto, he was ready to fight us to the death. Orochimaru of all people had to make him stand down for fucks sake!'' Kurotsuchi tried to reason with him.

''Yeah, he did that just to take him away again!'' Responded Naruto with just as much fervor. ''He is going to be used as Orochimaru's next body in just a few months!''

''Good!'' Kurotsuchi shot back. ''If he wants to be butt buddies with Orochimaru, let him! Those two deserve each other. If he ends up as that freak's spare suit then all the better! That's what he gets for what he did to you!''

''I can't let Sasuke down'' Said the blond, his resolution unwavering. ''Neither can I let down Sakura-Chan and Kakashi-Sensei. We promised we would bring him back together and that's what we are going to do''

Kurotsuchi put her hands on Naruto's shoulders, gripping them tightly and looked him directly in his eyes in an attempt to emphasize her argument. ''You just put yourself at risk with that! You can't keep doing that for a guy like Sasuke!''

''It is my role as his friend to make him straighten his path'' Said Naruto, still not convinced. ''I know it will be hard, but is not impossible''

''You are not listening to reason'' Kurotsuchi continued. ''He didn't care if you died by his hand. That's not the kind of guy that deserves the effort you put into saving him''

''Despite all that, I can't just abandon him. He might want to break our bonds but I won't let him'' Insisted Naruto before he was slightly shaken by Kurotsuchi.

''You are going to die, you moron!'' Kurotsuchi shouted at him almost in desperation and with tears in her pink eyes.

Seeing her reaction left Naruto stunned as he looked startled and agape at the girl in front of him.

''This obsession you have with him is going to kill you'' Kurotsuchi kept her rant going, trying to keep her voice from cracking. She softened her hold on his shoulders she looked at him with moist eyes and a worried look, pleading him, no, begging him to listen to her. ''I don't want to see you lose your life for someone that doesn't deserve it. I don't want to see you die, period. I can't bear the thought of you going to your doom with me not being able to do anything to stop it. So please, don't do that to me''

Naruto stared speechless at the crying girl in front of him. He now realized that she had been distant not because she was angry at him, but because she was worried for his safety and felt powerless to do anything.

''Not only is chasing after Sasuke killing you but is affecting your mind too. You could lose yourself'' The girl continued. ''When Orochimaru appeared it only took you a moment of seeing Sasuke's captor to make you lose your mind. I don't want to see that ever again'' Kurotsuchi broke eye contact with the blond as she unconsciously brought a hand to her neck, remembering the terrible encounter with a Kyuubified Naruto.

The blond frowned with guilt when he saw the girl reach for her wounded neck. it appeared that the event left a big impact on her just like he feared it had.

''I didn't mean to do that'' Said Naruto suddenly, getting back Kurotsuchi's attention. ''Those wounds...I didn't mean for anything of that to happen. I realized later that I was the one that hurt you''

Kurotsuchi stared at him in shock, she didn't know that Naruto had figured that out.

However, Naruto continued. ''All my life I've heard people say that I'm a monster, that I should be locked away and all that. And I didn't believe that until now, maybe I should be put away so I can't do something like this to you or anyone else again''

As soon as he finished saying that, Kurotsuchi let go off him and slapped him across the face, earning the girl a stunned look from the blond.

''Don't say that! I know that you are not the Kyuubi and so do you! So don't give me that crap!'' Said the enraged tomboy. ''You losing control doesn't mean that you are a monster, it means that you are letting the loss of Sasuke get to you too much! That's what I mean when I say that you are losing your mind over him!''

Naruto didn't know what to say to that. Was he really obsessing with Sasuke to the point when he was losing himself? Could he end up hurting more of his precious people in the future if he stayed this way? Sasuke had been ready to kill him, and Naruto accepted that. He would risk his life to help his friends in need, but Sasuke had also been trying to kill Team Seven, Yugao, and even Kurotsuchi in cold blood. Naruto could not deny that thinking about Sasuke killing any of them made him feel resentment towards the Uchiha. They had got lucky in the last mission. Naruto had felt too weak to fight properly after using the Kyuubi's Chakra, Kurotsuchi had been wounded and barely able to make hand seals for her Jutsu, things could have gone much worse all things considered. The blond pictured Kurotsuchi dead at Sasuke's feet as the Uchiha just sneered uncaringly at the girl's corpse; in that scenario, Naruto didn't know if he could forgive his former comrade. Was it prudent to keep chasing Sasuke if any of Naruto's friends were at the risk of dying to save the Uchiha? And the raven-haired boy might not even come back with them in the end.

Kurotsuchi realized that Naruto was deep in thought, no doubt pondering about what she just said. So she just decided to wait patiently to see what the blond concluded.

''I understand'' Naruto finally muttered, which made Kurotsuchi perk up, expecting the boy to elaborate. ''I get what you are saying and I can see that I was wrong. So, I'm going to consider doing some changes''

''Some changes?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. What did Naruto mean? Was he going to keep going after the bastard or not?

''I'm going to get stronger. Strong enough to defend my precious people of all the threats we will face in the future'' Declared Naruto. ''The Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and maybe even Sasuke. I need to be able to defeat all of them before I can even think of getting Sasuke back. After I get strong, then and only then will I go after Sasuke, only when I know that I won't put any of you at risk if I can beat him before he can even think about it'' Finished Naruto with hot determination in his blue eyes.

Kurotsuchi felt relieved, at least somewhat, at hearing that Naruto was going to take a break from chasing the Uchiha prick. Getting the time to improve his abilities and increase his strength was something that Kurotsuchi could get behind.

''I know I have a long way to go'' Naruto continued as he looked at his palm and clenched it into a fist. ''And whenever I push myself too hard I carry the risk of losing control to the stupid fox. But I'll find a way''

Kurotsuchi once again put a hand on Naruto's shoulder, urging the boy to look her in the eye. ''I know you can do it. You want to become Hokage right? Well, I want to become Tsuchikage too. Let's help each other, we can train together and get stronger faster as a result. If you are worried about the Kyuubi just remember what happened before and use it to drive you to not let it happen again''

Naruto gazed at Kurotsuchi with a look of gratitude. Helping each other sounded like a great idea. Nevertheless, he could not shake the fear that his lack of control over the Kyuubi instilled in him, but Kurotsuchi had a point: He could use this experience to strengthen his will against the fox's influence, so with that in mind he gently took Kurotsuchi's bandaged hand which was still on his shoulder.

Kurotsuchi looked curiously at the blond's odd action but didn't stop him, wondering what he was going to do.

Naruto looked down at the girl's palm as he held it delicately in his own. He wanted to remember these wounds, he wanted to burn in his brain the image of the pain he had caused Kurotsuchi. If he ever felt like he was going to lose control of the fox in the future he would remember these injuries to help him fight back it's influence. Naruto closed his eyes as he made a silent vow, a vow to never let what happened to his friend happen again. ''I promise the fox won't beat me again'' Said Naruto firmly.

Kurotsuchi smiled warmly at the blond at hearing his promise and she used her free hand to clasp Naruto's own between the one he had already been holding, ignoring the stinging sensation of her injuries as she did so. ''Then, let's get stronger. Together'' Said the girl tenderly.

''Right!'' Said Naruto as he shot the girl a heartfelt smile.

After both teenagers reached an agreement they stood still silently enjoying their closeness before they heard a knock on the door which broke the focus they had on each other and turned their attention to it.

after that, the door slid open to reveal Yugao peeking through it.

''Am I interrupting something? Because Sai is back and he wants to talk to you'' Informed the ANBU.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi glanced at each other in confusion. Sai wanted to talk to them? That was new, the guy barely said anything at all and when he did he usually only did it to annoy them. Despite that, they still felt interested in knowing what he wanted.

''Sure, let him in'' Said Naruto, turning to Yugao.

The older woman nodded and she looked outside the door to make a gesture with her head, letting the boy know he could enter.

Seconds later, Sai entered the room, excusing himself as he did so, and Yugao entered right behind him just in case he tried anything.

Once the ROOT member and Yugao stood in front of Naruto and Kurotsuchi, the pale boy started to fidget nervously.

''Yes?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi, urging the boy to tell them what he wanted.

''Sorry to bother you. I didn't mean to intrude, I didn't know you were busy'' Said Sai politely.

''We weren't, not anymore'' Remarked Naruto, still just as confused as his friend. ''So...ummm...''

''What do you want?'' Kurotsuchi completed the blond's question. ''Are you here to bother and insult us again or what?''

Sai scratched his cheek in embarrassment at the accusation since he could not blame them for thinking that. ''I'm sorry for that. I wanted to apologize for my previous actions towards you both. I know I have offended you and I wanted to start over if you don't mind''

Naruto didn't know what was going on or what prompted this change on Sai. After all, the odd boy had already offered his help to bring Sasuke back in the future which had already been weird in the first place. All in all, Naruto didn't have a problem with giving the guy a chance, especially if he was asking nicely. Kurotsuchi on the other hand...

''I don't buy for a second that you want to make amends, not after how much of an asshole you were'' Said the girl as she crossed her arms over her chest. ''So excuse me if I'm not jumping at the chance to 'start over' with you''

''I guess this is a little unexpected. However, I can explain'' Said Sai sheepishly. ''In our last mission I had a secret assignment given to me in ROOT, I was to dispose of Uchiha Sasuke by whatever means necessary''

''What?! Why would you do that?!'' Naruto demanded to know. Just when ha had been starting to like Sai he says something like that.

Yugao frowned dangerously at the pale boy for doing something so underhanded and sneaky that could compromise the purpose of the mission, and depending on the severity it could mean treason if the Hokage deemed it as such.

Kurotsuchi on her part got even more annoyed, not because Sai had tried to kill Sasuke, but because the useless prick didn't pull it off. She certainly would not miss the Uchiha, to say the least.

''I know how it sounds but that was the real mission given to me. Despite that, by the time we found Sasuke I had already decided that I wouldn't go through with it'' Explained Sai.

''Why should we believe that you backed down from your mission?'' Asked the incredulous Yugao.

''I have no way of proving that but is the truth'' Insisted the pale boy.

''What reason could you possibly have to make you abandon your task then?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''The other day Naruto tried to explain bonds to me. At that time they didn't make sense, no that's not right, I didn't want to think they made sense. I have been trained for most of my life to see bonds as unnecessary, as something that only holds you back from your true purpose. So, I didn't want to think that what I have believed all this time to be false. And then I saw what you did'' Said Sai as he turned to Kurotsuchi.

''Me?'' Asked the girl, confused. ''What did I do?''

''When Naruto lost control I saw how you risked your life for him. I never thought it was possible for a Shinobi to care about another ninja that is supposed to be an enemy. It was then that I realized that bonds are a stronger force than I gave them credit for. They are something that I can't understand in its entirety but they are obviously very powerful'' Explained Sai. ''Instead of keeping denying and burying my emotions like I have been doing for a long time now, I decided that I want to understand bonds, I want to experience them for myself, I want to feel them. That's why I wanted to ask for your forgiveness,and why I want to start over if you would let me'' Finished the boy with a bow showing sincere politeness.

The rest of the room's occupants didn't know what to say about this. Sai had been pretty sketchy and annoying since they knew him, what stopped him from trying to fool them?

Having made up his mind, Naruto grinned at Sai. ''This might seem weird but something tells me that you are being honest. If you really want to be cool with us just stop being an ass and I'll have no problem having you around'' Naruto believed in second chances. If Sai really made an effort to stop being so weird and rude he deserved the benefit of the doubt.

Yugao shrugged at the boy's request. As long as he behaved himself in the future she wasn't going to be up in his case, and ultimately he was asking Naruto and Kurotsuchi so it was up to them to decide.

Kurotsuchi stared in doubt a bit more at the ROOT member but she still decided to voice her opinion. ''Don't think I will forget so easily the way you acted towards me, faggot. However, if you play nice long enough I might just forgive you. I said might, don't forget that part''

Sai could agree to those terms. Even if Kurotsuchi wasn't entirely convinced as long as they stayed civil to each other that was good enough for Sai. ''Also, I wanted to ask you for permission to stay with Team Seven for a while longer. I wanted to see if you guys were fine with it before I made my request to Hokage-Sama'' Said the pale boy with a hand behind his head, feeling anxious for their answer.

''I just told you I would give you a chance, so of course you can stay, Dattebayo!'' Replied the blond amicably. '' The more the merrier, right?''

''I'm not part of Team Seven'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''If you want to stay, be my guest, is not like I can decide that''

Sai smiled at them with a look full of gratitude, glad that they could accept him in their group. ''I don't want to get ahead of myself but I hope that we can make good friends in the future. I don't have any friends and I would like you to be mine''

Kurotsuchi didn't fancy the idea. She didn't particularly like the guy, one thing was agreeing to tolerate him but becoming his friend? No thanks.

But Naruto wasn't as cold as his stone-headed friend and was quick to Incite Sai. If the only thing the antisocial guy wanted was a friend, the Jinchuuriki didn't have the heart to tell him off, especially when he understood perfectly how it felt to long for friends and no one was willing to be yours.

''Ah so you just wanted a friend? Don't worry we can be your friends! Can't we, Kurotsuchi?'' Inquired the blond as he glanced to the tomboy.

''We?'' Repeated the Iwa Kunoichi. She never said she was okay with it.

But Sai didn't wait to hear any more , he was ecstatic to start his new friendships. ''I thank you deeply, this means a lot to me'' the boy beamed at them. ''I have been reading some books lately on how to better interact with people, I really want to make an effort in my relationships from now on. And I read that friends usually call each other nicknames to get more familiar with each other and tighten their personal connection. So I was wondering if it was fine to try my hand in giving you nicknames?''

Kurotsuchi raised her eyebrow at the unusual request. This guy really was socially retarded.

Yugao had similar opinions to the tomboy. She knew that ROOT was very adamant in killing off all the feelings and relationships of their members, but this was on another level. How was it even possible to be this socially underdeveloped?

''Sai, you can't give people nicknames just like that'' Said Naruto. ''That's something that happens Naturally''

''But I read in a book that is very common'' Said Sai. ''Like calling people by their characteristics. I could call you 'dickless' for example''

Naruto's mouth fell open as his eye twitched in irritation. ''Hey, what's with that stupid nickname?!''

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi put her hand over her mouth, trying to muffle her laughter. And even Yugao could not help but give a small snicker.

Naruto would rather have the earth swallow him whole than having both girls laughing at something like that. ''Sai...'' Muttered Naruto in a threatening manner.

''What?'' Asked Sai with a lost look in his eyes. '' Is that a bad nickname? 'butch' here seems to like it'' Said the pale boy as he pointed at Kurotsuchi.

Naruto and Yugao paled when they noticed that the Iwa Kunoichi stopped laughing abruptly, and they looked at her and saw the girl reflecting bloody murder in her eyes. In an instant, Naruto was quick to restrain both of Kurotsuchi's arms with his own as the girl attempted to break free and maul the ROOT ninja.

''Who are you calling 'butch' you fucking faggot?! Wait until I get my hands on you!'' Yelled the tomboy as she attempted to break Naruto's hold.

''Kurotsuchi, remember what Tsunade-Baachan said about attacking Konoha ninja!'' Said Naruto in desperation.

''I'm sure she won't mind one little fucker less in her ranks!'' Insisted the girl, trying to reach for Sai, who was currently watching the interaction in confusion.

While Naruto kept Kurotsuchi under control, Yugao turned to Sai, displeasure showing in her features. ''I think you better go until she has calmed down''

''Did I screw up already?'' Asked Sai innocently and the look in Yugao's face told him all he needed to know. Then, Sai promptly turned and left the room to avoid making things worse. It seemed that having friends was harder than it looked.

 _''These damn kids''_ Thought Yugao as she massaged her temple, ignoring Kurotsuchi's angry yells as she wished that Kakashi came back soon.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Another chapter in less than a week, I feel proud of that. I had meant to take a small break but I wanted to write the Naruto and Kurotsuchi argument over Sasuke while it was still fresh in my head, so I'm glad I did.**

 **This time, I have two things that I need to address:**

 **First, a lot of people thought that Naruto and Kurotsuchi seemed too weak in the last battle against Sasuke. I just wanted to point out that it was because Naruto was still terribly exhausted after using the Kyuubi's Chakra and Kurotsuchi was hurt, so they were not fighting at full power. I'm sorry if I did not convey that detail properly in the last chapter but that's what happened.**

 **Also, Sasuke himself is very strong, even at the start of Shippuden. We always tend to forget that he was already plenty powerful when Sasuke just showed up because he got ridiculously OP later in the series. But the powers he got throughout Shippuden were more Doujutsu. His speed, his Kenjutsu, and his physical strength were pretty much the same through most of Shippuden(Except during the last arc when he got Hagoromo's Chakra, that booster everything).**

 **And the second and last thing I wanted to address is something that...Is kind of embarrassing I'm not going to lie. I was wondering how you guys felt about lemons(Oh boy).**

 **It might seem ridiculous to tip toe around the issue especially if some of you guys might be already used to reading lemons in other stories, but here is the thing: Never in a million years did I think I would be considering writing them. They are one of those things that can break a fic, be it because some people are heavily displeased by them or because a badly written lemon kills a story. However, I know that, if handled properly, a lemon can make for a more realistic development in a romantic relationship since if you keep the characterization on point it can serve to make the characters connect on a whole different level. Still, I'm not sure if I should add them, and if I do they won't be too over the top, they would be more like limes of you will.**

 **Since is something that I have been debating heavily I wanted to ask you guys for your opinion on the matter and you guys might help me make up my mind on the matter.**

 **SOMETHING TO NOTE: This doesn't mean that I will be jumping into the limes straight away. IF the limes do end up happening we are still several chapters away from them, but I figured that now is the time to decide if I leave them out entirely or what, while we are still early. And please, if you have something to say regarding the lemon topic send me what you think by PM, I don't like when comments sections become a voting poll.**

 **Well, with that long ass author's note out of the way I just wanted to finish by saying what I always do:**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! And please review or PM me if you want :)**


	23. Chapter 23: Troubled feelings

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 23: Troubled Feelings

Tsunade stared silently at Kakashi and his team who were currently in front of her at the Hokage's office. The Hokage was sitting down in her chair with her elbows on her desk as she held her hands in front of her face, deep in thought.

''What you tell me is troubling'' Said Tsunade. ''I had hoped for Sasuke to be more cooperative if he saw his former team. His vehemently refusal to come back along with the drastic improvement of his skills will make it very hard for us to take him back. Not to mention that Orochimaru will be more careful in his movements for the next few months after he was just discovered''

''It will be challenging indeed'' Agreed Kakashi. ''According to Jiraiya-Sama's reports, we have around six more months until Orochimaru is ready to take another vessel''

''And another thing'' Said Tsunade, glancing at Kurotsuchi sternly, making the Iwa Kunoichi gulp. ''Girl, are you stupid or what? Getting close to a rampaging Jinchuuriki is one of the most moronic things one can do. You are lucky you got away with only a few burns'' The girl was their best leverage against Ohnoki. If the girl got herself killed in her stupidity just before Tsunade was about to meet with the Tsuchikage it would make things even more difficult.

''Please forgive me, Hokage-Sama'' Said Kurotsuchi with a bow. ''I know it was a very foolish thing to do. It won't happen again'' Despite what she said, Kurotsuchi didn't care for what Tsunade thought of her actions. If the situation presented itself where Naruto would need her help again she would risk her life for the blond without a second thought. She knew that Naruto would do the same for her.

Naruto on his part diverted his gaze towards the floor in shame. His rampage wasn't something he felt proud of and being reminded of it didn't do his mood any favors.

''I also would like to apologize, Hokage-Sama'' Said Yugao, kneeling in front of her leader. ''It is my duty to watch over Kurotsuchi both as a security measure and to keep her safe. I should have been quicker in my reaction to stop her before she could reach Naruto. I will accept any punishment you wish to give me''

''That won't be necessary'' Said Tsunade with a wave of her hand. ''You have been performing your duties splendidly so far and the girl wasn't hurt in any permanent manner. Also, I can't fault the girl too much if her intent was to help Naruto. However, this better not be repeated, that goes for both of you''

''Of course'' ''Roger'' Responded Kurotsuchi and Yugao at the same time.

''And you, Naruto'' Said Tsunade, turning her attention to the blond boy. ''We have to do something about the fox. If you are having trouble keeping it under control that puts us all in a very dangerous situation''

''I know, Tsunade-Baachan'' Said Naruto. ''But from now on I won't depend on the Kyuubi to make me strong. I'll train hard to improve my own strength so what happened with Orochimaru doesn't happen again'

Tsunade smiled at the boy. She knew that Naruto wasn't one to make empty promises, but as a leader, she still had to take the necessary precautions. ''I like your determination, but I'm afraid that depending on your will alone is not a viable option for keeping the Kyuubi in check. Luckily, I have an idea on how to control it but I'll let you know what it is later. Don't worry, it won't bother you or get in the middle your daily activities, I promise'' Added Tsunade when she noticed the worried look that Naruto was giving her.

Naruto nodded somberly at the Hokage, resigning himself to it. He understood where Tsunade was coming from, the Kyuubi wasn't something to take lightly and it was only natural to make sure that the fox wouldn't break loose, but that didn't mean that Naruto felt comfortable knowing that the Sannin didn't trust his resolution enough to keep himself under control.

''Hokage-Sama, I was wondering if I could make a request'' Said Sai as he stepped forward timidly.

Tsunade eyed curiously the ROOT agent, she hadn't trusted the boy since it was assigned to Team Seven and she still didn't like him but he was being polite enough and he had a right to voice his thoughts. However, whether Tsunade agreed to whatever he had to say was another matter entirely. Regardless, she was still willing to hear him out first. ''Go ahead'' Commanded the Sannin.

''Thank you for hearing me out, Hokage-Sama'' Said Sai, proceeding with his request. ''I was wondering if I could stay with Team Seven a while longer. I have enjoyed my time spent with the team and I wish to keep calling them my comrades''

Tsunade could only stare in skepticism at the odd boy. She would not put it past a ROOT member to use emotional manipulation tactics to get their way but they usually sucked at it with their stunned social development and all, and Sai seemed sincere as strange as it was. In her doubt, Tsunade glanced at Kakashi, silently asking for his opinion since he had to have a better feel of Sai's character by now. She was surprised to see the copy ninja nod at her, agreeing with Sai. The female Sannin still had her reservations about letting one of Danzo's subordinates stay with Kakashi's team. However, she had promised that she would only get rid of the boy if he caused trouble and if Kakashi was fine with having the young man on his team Tsunade had no valid reason to tell the boy to get lost. ''Fine, you can stay'' Declared the Hokage.

Sai bowed deeply at Tsunade. ''I appreciate your understanding, Hokage-Sama'' The boy felt so relieved that he could continue nurturing his newfound bonds with his comrades. Also, he was particularly interested in watching some more the relationship Naruto and Kurotsuchi had with each other, as he was still fascinated by it for some reason.

With that matter dealt with, Tsunade turned to her pink-haired student. ''And another thing, Sakura you should finish treating Kurotsuchi's injuries as soon as you can''

Sakura was taken aback by her master's order. She was already going to tend to Kurotsuchi's wounds anyway but she didn't expect the Sannin to care about that since the Hokage didn't even like the Iwa girl in the first place. ''Of course, Tsunade-Shishou. I was going to go to Kurotsuchi's place later to do exactly that, actually''

Kurotsuchi frowned with suspicion at that. The Hokage had treated her like dirt so far, so she wondered why all of a sudden she cared if she got some scars.

''After that, you should use the day to rest properly just to be safe even after Sakura heals you'' Said Tsunade, regarding Kurotsuchi once more.

''But Tsunade-Baachan, I wanted to start training right away and Kurotsuchi was going to help me'' Complained Naruto.

''Help you train, you say?'' Asked Tsunade in bewilderment.

It was then that Naruto and Kurotsuchi widened their eyes in realization. It never occurred to them that Kurotsuchi might not even have permission to train.

''Am I not allowed to train with Naruto?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi with a bit of reluctance, fearing that the woman would say no.

Tsunade seemed to think it over for a moment, frowning in concentration. ''If you want to train with Naruto that's his choice to make if he doesn't mind you around. However, my previous rules still stand: Don't do anything that might hurt Naruto or any of my ninja or you'll pay for it'' Remarked Tsunade with seriousness.

''Thanks, Hokage-Sama'' Replied Kurotsuchi with a small bow. ''I promise I won't put anyone at risk''

''You better not'' Said Tsunade. ''Anyway, I still advise that you postpone your training session until tomorrow and take it easy for today. And no Naruto, this is not up for debate'' Added the Hokage when he saw the blond ready to argue back and stopped him dead in his tracks before he could. After that, Tsunade looked at Kakashi intently. ''Kakashi, I trust that you finished that little task I asked you to do''

''I did. Don't worry about it, Tsunade-Sama'' Responded the copy ninja with one of his eye-smiles while the rest of the team -save for Yugao, who already knew about it- wondered what were the Hokage and the Sharingan user talking about.

''Task?'' As always, Naruto could not keep his curiosity to himself. ''What task did you give Kakashi-Sensei, Tsunade-Baachan?''

''It is of no importance and I don't think it's any of your business, Naruto'' Tsunade scolded the blond. ''That will be all for now, you are dismissed. Naruto, you will be able to train to your heart's content tomorrow if you so wish but I would like that you take a proper breather for once''

Naruto was disappointed to not being able to jump straight into training like he would have hoped but he resolved to use the day to at least think of ways to help him in his training.

And with that, Naruto and company left the office and the Hokage Tower.

''This sucks! I don't understand Tsunade-Baachan sometimes. Why won't she let me go train right now?'' Complained Naruto once he and the rest exited the building and went into the streets.

''I know how you feel, I also would have liked to train as soon as possible'' Added Kurotsuchi. ''At least is just one day, that won't make much difference''

''Kurotsuchi is right, Naruto. You could learn patience from her when you are training together'' Said Kakashi. ''Well, I'm taking my leave. I have things to do, see ya guys later'' Finished the copy ninja with a salute before he vanished in a puff of smoke.

''I'll have to leave too. I want to go read some books at the library, farewell guys'' Said Sai also leaving the group with the intent on doing more research on personal relationships.

The remaining members looked at Sai go until Naruto suddenly got upset. ''Oh crap! I forgot to ask Kakashi-Sensei something!'' Exclaimed the blond.

Sakura sighed at the blond's absentmindedness. ''If you hurry up, you might still be able to catch up to him'' Suggested the pinkette.

''I'll do just that. Thanks, Sakura-Chan!'' Said Naruto before he started speeding off. ''I'll see you later!''

And with that, the three girls were left alone.

Kurotsuchi couldn't help herself from feeling a bit disappointed that Naruto had left so soon, she would have at least hoped to discuss with him their training regime but no matter, they were neighbors so she could always go to his place later when he came back.

''So um, Kurotsuchi-San'' Said Sakura, catching the attention of the Iwa girl.

''Yes?'' Responded Kurotsuchi.

''I think it would be best that I treat your injury right now'' Said Sakura. ''I mean, I'm free at the moment and Tsunade-Shishou stressed that I do it right away so...'' The medic finished awkwardly.

''Sure, now is as good time as any I guess'' Said the tomboy. Also, she was getting tired of constantly changing her bandages. ''Will it take long?''

The medic bit her lip as she thought about the procedure. ''At least several minutes, yes''

Kurotsuchi gave a sigh in resignation. ''I guess there is no helping it then. Let's go to my apartment, I would rather not being on full display in the middle of the street while you heal me''

''I have no problem with it'' Said Sakura.

''You kids go on ahead'' Said Yugao, who had stayed silent until now. ''I want to go crash at my place myself. That last mission left me pretty tired''

''Of course, you go and rest'' Said Kurotsuchi. She knew that the ANBU deserved some time to herself, she was always on duty most of the time.

''Then we'll see each other later. Take care'' Said the older woman with a wave before she turned around and calmly walked away. She knew that the rest of her ANBU squad was already watching over Kurotsuchi ever since they entered Konoha so there was no problem if she wasn't present at the moment.

''See you later, Yugao-San. Thanks for your help in the mission'' Said Sakura amicably with a wave of her own.

''Same. See ya'' Replied Kurotsuchi.

With Yugao gone, Kurotsuchi turned to Sakura to resume their previous topic. ''Okay, let's get going''

''Right'' Answered Sakura as she started following Kurotsuchi as she walked along the street.

The walk towards the apartment complex was silent save for a casual comment here and there on trivial matters like the weather and the like, as the girls didn't think or have any particular topic that they would like to talk about, they just seemed to have trouble connecting with each other. Not to mention, that their last disagreement over Sasuke was still fresh in their minds.

However, as they walked, Sakura was just now taking note that this was the same path she would usually take to get to Naruto's place. She had forgotten for a moment that Kurotsuchi and the blond lived just next door to each other and this was the first time that the pinkette had ever gone to Naruto's building without the intent of seeing her orange-loving teammate. Now that she thought about it, Naruto and Kurotsuchi's relationship was so weird: They had started as enemies, and now they were close friends it seemed, but Kurotsuchi was pretty much dependent on Naruto while she was here in Konoha. That was a very weird thought now that Sakura really pondered on it. Kurotsuchi was a prisoner but it was easy to forget it with the way those two behaved around each other. Sakura had a feeling that there had to be more to their relationship that than but the medic could not put her finger on what it could be.

''Hey''

Sakura was taken out of her focused state and she barely stopped before she walked right into Kurotsuchi who had already stopped.

''Are you alright? You looked distracted'' Inquired Kurotsuchi with a confused look.

''Everything is fine, I was just thinking about something else'' Sakura excused herself. ''Thanks for asking, though''

Kurotsuchi gave the pink-haired girl an odd look before she sighed. ''Whatever. I just wanted to say that we are here''

Sakura looked up to see the familiar sight of the apartment complex that she had visited numerous times in the past, she had been so absorbed in her thought she didn't realize when she got there. ''You know, it feels kind of weird being here and not see Naruto'' Commented Sakura.

''I would suppose so. Come on, this way'' Said the tomboy before she started going up the stairs of the complex and Sakura followed shortly after.

In just a moment they were at Kurotsuchi's door and the Iwa Kunoichi promptly opened it. Then, after Sakura excused herself, both girls entered the apartment.

Sakura stopped in the middle of the small living room to glance around the place uncomfortably, she had never hung out with the tomboy by herself, let alone come into her house.

''You want something to drink? Water or tea perhaps?'' Suggested Kurotsuchi as she went into the kitchen at the other side of the room to open the small fridge.

''Water would be nice, thanks'' Said Sakura politely.

A moment later, Kurotsuchi returned with a glass of water for the pinkette to take.

''Thank you again'' Replied Sakura before she grabbed the glass from Kurotsuchi's hand and gulped the contents down.

Once the medic finished, she gave a content sigh before she regarded Kurotsuchi again. ''You have a nice place. It has a nice feel to it''

Kurotsuchi shrugged in response. ''Well, I can't complain much about it, all things considered''

Sakura nodded in understanding. Even if the place was humble and basic it was a million times better than a cell. ''So, let's take a look at those wounds'' Said the medic lest they fell into awkward silence again.

''Yes please'' Said Kurotsuchi before she took a seat on the sofa and Sakura joined her.

After that, the pinkette proceeded to gently unravel the bandage around Kurotsuchi's neck as the tomboy refrained from cringing in discomfort to the contact with her burned flesh.

Once Sakura was done with that, she quickly passed a Chakra coated hand over the affected area. ''This is good, the Kyuubi's Chakra is completely gone. Now it should be a piece of cake healing the wound properly. When I'm done no one would even be able to tell you used to have this scar''

''Nice to know'' Replied the tomboy as she frowned at the tickling from the weird bubbling-like sensation she felt, caused by the effect of the healing Chakra.

''I'm sorry about the other time, you know'' Said Sakura suddenly, catching Kurotsuchi off-guard.

''What do you mean?'' Asked the confused Iwa Kunoichi.

''That time you talked about Sasuke-Kun, I'm sorry for losing my temper'' Said Sakura meekly.

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes and kept herself from groaning in exasperation. Yet again the Uchiha managed to pop up in another conversation, she just wished they would stop talking about him altogether. ''He was your teammate. Don't worry, I know that it must be hard detaching yourself from him''

''Maybe but I know how it must look for other people'' Said Sakura while she kept her glowing green hand over Kurotsuchi's neck. ''It must seem like a lost cause, to keep chasing after Sasuke-Kun when he has done everything possible to cut his ties with us but is not so simple. We won't let him go without at least doing our best to bring him back, we have gone through so much together to just give up on him''

''Sakura, I understand, really. I have already talked to Naruto about this and I would like to leave the topic alone, no offense'' Said Kurotsuchi, hoping that they would stop talking about the Uchiha bastard.

Sakura could tell that Kurotsuchi wasn't fond of the topic at hand, so she decided to drop it and without making a scene like last time. For a moment, it seemed like the two girls were going to spend the rest of their time together in silence but the pinkette resolved to make an effort to not let things get more awkward between them. ''And speaking of Naruto, he really did a number on you, I rarely take this long to treat these kinds of injuries'' Said Sakura as she did the finishing touches on Kurotsuchi's neck.

''It was the Kyuubi, not Naruto'' Kurotsuchi reminded the medic with a harsh edge in her voice.

''I know that. You get what I mean. It just took us all by surprise at the time, you just went running all of a sudden, we could do nothing to stop you'' Said Sakura.

''I had to do something. Naruto has been a good friend to me what kind of friend would I be if I don't do the same?'' Responded Kurotsuchi.

Sakura didn's answer for a few seconds as she examined the other girl's now smooth skin signaling a job well done. ''There you go, as good as new'' Exclaimed the pinkette with a smile as she took off her hands.

Kurotsuchi was taken aback by that, she had not expected Sakura to finish so soon. She didn't waste any time and brought her own hand to her neck, rubbing it gently and she could notice that, in fact, her skin felt completely smooth and the pain was gone. ''Wow I can't feel the burn anymore. You are good'' Praised the tomboy.

''It was nothing, but thank you'' Said Sakura with modesty. ''Now let me take care of your hands''

Kurotsuchi nodded and extended her bandaged palms forward, eager to get treated as soon as possible now that she knew that Sakura really could really get rid of the scars completely.

Sakura took the tomboy's hands in her own and started taking off the pieces of cloth covering them. ''So, does Naruto come here often?'' Asked Sakura trying to keep the conversation going but she knew that it was an obvious question. Of course Naruto would visit Kurotsuchi regularly. If the Iwa girl was willing to risk her life to help Naruto then their relationship was strong, stronger than Sakura had first assumed at least.

''Yes he does. And I'm grateful for that, he keeps things from getting boring honestly'' Kurotsuchi said casually.

At that, Sakura narrowed her eyes with a somber look as she finished tending to one of Kurotsuchi's hands and went to take the other. ''I'm a bit jealous, you know?'' Admitted the medic.

''Jealous?'' Repeated the bewildered Iwa girl.

Sakura nodded all the while kept her focus on her task. ''Yes, I mean...Naruto has been my teammate for a long time and I feel that you two are closer than I've ever been with him. I know it sounds silly but that's how I feel'' Said the pinkette.

''What are you talking about?'' Asked the perplexed tomboy. ''He likes you, I've seen him ask you on dates before. How much closer than that do you want to be?''

''He asking me out is not the same as being close, especially if I always reject him'' Said Sakura with sadness. ''I didn't realize until recently how little I truly know about Naruto. When we were kids I mostly avoided him, even when we became a team I didn't start to truly appreciate him until much later. Now we barely hang out since he came back after three years of not seeing each other. Not to mention that I didn't learn that he was a Jinchuuriki until our mission to Suna. It makes me feel like I have failed Naruto as a teammate. All this time knowing him and we are still so far apart''

Kurotsuchi tilted her head slightly, not understanding why Sakura was so hung up about this. The solution seemed pretty clear to the Iwa Kunoichi. ''If you really feel that way why don't you just accept to go on a date with him? That would certainly help your relationship with him, even if it doesn't become enything more'' As soon as those words left her mouth, Kurotsuchi immediately regretted them. for some reason, the thought of Naruto and Sakura together displeased her greatly.

''I don't want to lead him on'' Responded Sakura with a heavy heart. ''I know he has certainly earned a chance. He has been a good friend and teammate for years now and has always been there to me when I needed him. But if I accept one of his date offers I would just make him hopeful for nothing, he deserves better than that. Even after all this time my heart is with Sasuke-Kun, I know that I must sound like a madwoman to you for that, Sasuke-Kun has never expressed any interest in me but I can't help my feelings for him. I feel like an idiot, I just can't stop loving him'' Sakura didn't know why she was telling Kurotsuchi all of this, she guessed that she had to let it all out. Her conflicted feelings about Sasuke tormented her every day, even more so recently after their last mission, and she just wanted someone to confide in.

Now everything made sense to Kurotsuchi. So Sakura was completely head over heels for the Uchiha. The tomboy thought that the pinkette had terrible tastes if that was the guy she had fallen in love with, just the thought made her icky.

''But you are right. Maybe I really should give Naruto a chance. Who knows, perhaps I can be truly happy with him and I won't know until I try'' Said Sakura. ''I know he is a good person, and he certainly would try his best to make me happy''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in panic, she had screwed up. She had to make Sakura avoid entertaining the idea of accepting Naruto's dates at all cost. The blond already liked her, the only thing that he needed for the two of them to be together was a simple 'yes' from Sakura. Kurotsuchi had no doubt that if the pinkette gave Naruto a single chance the boy could very well end up winning her over. ''Don't give up on your true love so easily, Sakura. The matters of the heart are complicated, we can't help who we fall in love with. If who you really love is Sasuke don't let him go. The best you can do is to keep giving it your all and hope for the best. If you do that I'm sure that your feelings will reach Sasuke sooner or later'' Said Kurotsuchi with the best fake friendly smile she could muster. She didn't like encouraging anyone to pursue the Uchiha asshole, but if Sakura kept chasing after him she would never consider Naruto as a romantic partner. She felt guilty in her attempt to manipulate the pink-haired girl but she had no choice, she was the one who put the idea in Sakura's mind in the first place and she would do well to squash it while it was still new.

Sakura beamed at Kurotsuchi with glee, glad to hear some much-needed words of encouragement and completely missing the tomboy's hidden intentions. ''I didn't know you could be so deep, Kurotsuchi-San'' Praised the medic.

''I'm just trying to help, you are already aiding me with my injuries.'' Said Kurotsuchi amicably, keeping up her charade. ''I don't want to see you give up on your true love even when you face obstacles. In my opinion, those very same obstacles that you worry so much about are going to make the feelings you and Sasuke have for each other stronger when you overcome them, and I'm sure that you will''

This time, Sakura didn't say anything and just went back to focus on the healing process, but she did so with a smile full of gratitude as she pondered on what her current patient had told her.

Kurotsuchi kept a sly grin from forming on her lips. She could tell that her plan had worked, Sakura's spirits seemed to be renewed and no doubt her obsession with the Uchiha along with it. She sighed internally in relief, that had been close.

They both stayed like that for a couple of minutes until Sakura broke the silence again. ''All done!'' Said the medic cheerfully before she stood up with a proud smile.

At Sakura's declaration, Kurotsuchi started flexing her fingers and rubbing her hands against each other and just like her neck, they were completely smooth with no signs of having ever been damaged. ''You aren't the Hokage's apprentice for nothing, that's for sure''

''Thanks, I have trained hard to reach this level and I still have a long way to go but it feels nice to see my effort pay off'' Said Sakura. ''You don't feel any pain at all?''

''No, it's just perfect'' Replied the tomboy as she kept flexing her hand.

''That's good'' Said Sakura before she got a sheepish look on her face. ''If everything is fine now I think I should be going. I have a schedule to keep at the hospital and I don't want to be late''

''Sure, don't let me keep you'' Said Kurotsuchi cordially as she stood up just before Sakura did the same.

''Still, I wanted you to know that I really appreciate your kind words, after what happened in Grass Country I really needed them'' Said Sakura with a smile. ''I can see why Naruto likes you so much''

''It was nothing, don't worry about it'' Said the tomboy as she walked towards the entrance door and opened it. ''We can talk some more at another time, I don't want to be the cause that you are late for your duties''

''I would love that, to talk I mean'' Said Sakura as she went to stand at the entrance of the apartment.

''Sure. Take care, Sakura'' Said Kurotsuchi in farewell.

''See you later, Kurotsuchi-San'' Replied Sakura with a wave as she exited the place with a grin, all while having a completely new perspective of the rough girl. Maybe this would mean that she and Kurotsuchi could be friends too.

As soon as Sakura was out of sight, Kurotsuchi entered the apartment again and closed the door before leaning her back against it. As she rested her torso on the wooden surface she stared at the inside of her apartment looking at nothing in particular before she brought up a hand to rub her face. What had she done? It was to her knowledge that Naruto had been in love with Sakura for a long time, he had probably tried numerous times to get Sakura to give him a chance only to suffer rejection after rejection, and here Kurotsuchi had had the chance to do a favor to her best friend. She almost convinced Sakura to make one of Naruto's most yearned wishes come true, and she ruined it, on purpose too on top of it.

Kurotsuchi slowly slid down the door until she was sitting on the floor. She still didn't know why she had done that. Naruto's life had been hard, he deserved happiness and what better way to do it than being with the girl of his dreams? And Kurotsuchi had gone out of her way to kill that dream, what a friend she was. It wasn't like Sakura was a bad girl either, sure she had a temper and could be bossy but she wasn't an awful match for the blond, Naruto could definitely do much worse than her. But the mere thought of Naruto being intimate with Sakura made Kurotsuchi inexplicably angry and sad at the same time, as soon as she envisioned that she just had to make Sakura reconsider.

 _''What the hell is wrong with me?''_ Thought the girl before she rested her head against the door as she stared at the ceiling with unfocused eyes. How ironic that just a few minutes ago she had advised Sakura about feelings like she was an expert on such matters; Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi was here trying to sort out her own emotions. _''It must be the exhaustion from the trip, yes that's it''_ Concluded the pink-eyed girl. She should better lay down on her bed for a while, maybe even read a bit of the book that Kakashi lent her, that would help her take her mind off from this. With that in mind, the girl resolved to go and do just that. So, the tomboy proceeded to stand up before she walked towards her room with the intent of getting some rest.

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade sat on her chair with her brow furrowed with anxiety. She gave a deep sigh, trying to relieve some tension, the moment to meet with Ohnoki had finally arrived, and to say she was uneasy was an understatement as this was a very delicate political matter, if things went wrong it could even lead to war but there was no backing down now, she had to show Iwa that they weren't going to stand for their transgression against Naruto and Jiraiya, if Ohnoki left no choice but to settle this with violence that was what was going to happen even if the Hokage would much prefer it to not be that way.

''Shizune, it's time'' Said Tsunade as she glanced at her apprentice who was at the corner of the room, waiting just as restless for the signal of her master.

''Of course, Tsunade-Sama'' Replied the raven-haired woman obediently. She then walked to the entrance door before opening it and signaling for someone to come in.

Almost immediately after, three men wearing the standard Konoha uniform entered the office with their stride full of purpose, for they had already been informed of this delicate task. They all lined up in front of the Hokage, ready to hear their leader's orders.

One of the men, Genma, had a bandana over his shoulder-length brown hair. He also had a metallic Senbon in his mouth which he used as a toothpick. Despite the severity of the situation, he had a relaxed look on his face.

A man named Raido was another one of the Shinobi present. He had spiky brown hair which he kept in place with his forehead protector and had a large scar running from the bridge of his nose all the way to the left side of his face. Unlike Genma, he had a serious look in his eyes.

And lastly, the last member of the three men was Iwashi. He had a small goatee and dark hair that he kept covered by a bandana that also served as a forehead protector. He was the only one to let his worry show on his face but he was still behaving professionally in front of the Hokage.

Once everyone was inside, Shizune exited the office to guard the entrance and let the rest of the integrants have privacy.

''Is everything ready, Hokage-Sama?'' Asked Genma casually.

''That's right'' Replied Tsunade. ''You know what to do, correct?''

The three men nodded in confirmation. they had been informed beforehand of their important role in this mission.

''Then let's not waste any more time'' Said the Sannin before she made the hand seal which Naruto was so fond of and a copy of Tsunade appeared beside her desk.

''You know what to do'' Said The Shadow Clone as she approached the three men.

The members of the Hokage's personal guard got to work and they slowly surrounded the fake Sannin. Once the men were in formation, Raido, Genma, and Iwashi linked their hands together with each other performing a collective hand seal, forming a three-man circle with the fake Hokage in the middle of it.

''Hiraijin no Jutsu!(Flying Thunder Formation Technique)'' Said the men at the same time, causing a bright yellow flash to engulf them and Tsunade's double before they disappeared completely.

As soon as Tsunade was left alone she slumped in her chair, feeling a headache beginning to form due to her anxiety. If things went wrong in that meeting it could mean war once again, and her uneasiness was made worse by the fact that she could not know how the meeting would be developing, at least not until her clone was dispelled.

The Hokage opened a drawer on her desk and pulled out a bottle of sake and a small cup. With her mind as clouded with worry as it was she doubted she could work anyway, so she might as well try to relieve some stress with alcohol.

-Grass Country-

Raido, Genma, Iwashi, and Tsunade's clone found themselves standing in the middle of a lush green forest, In the blink of an eye, they had been transported from the Hokage Tower to Grass Country. A few yards behind them they could see a large deep river and the remains of what once been a bridge that allowed passage over said river, and on the other hand, just several yards in front of them was a large fortress-like building.

As soon as they arrived, the three men let go of each other's hands to catch their breath, they didn't know how the hell did the Yondaime manage to use this Jutsu in battle when it was already incredibly disorientating just as a means of transport, and that was without taking into account the drain to one's Chakra reserves, that just served to prove how skilled the Yondaime had been with the technique that performing it didn't even faze him at all.

for her part, the clone was still getting used to the feeling of the space-time Ninjutsu. Unlike the men, It was the first time Tsunade had ever used the technique, it was so surreal how one could teleport anywhere as long as the place had been marked beforehand, and speaking of which, the Hokage's clone glanced around until she spotted the same three-bladed Kunai she had given Kakashi stuck on the ground just centimeters away from her feet. For a moment, the woman debated if she should take the Kunai or not, but she decided against it. If for some reason she was to be dispelled prematurely they would have to send another Clone right away, so t was better to leave it there for the time being.

The Shadow Clone turned to look as her personal guard to relay her new orders. ''Good Job. You can leave now, I'll take care of this from here on it''

''Alright. Good luck then, Tsunade-Sama'' Replied Raido as he started getting into the same previous circle formation along with the other two Jounin. And in just a few moments, the trio disappeared the same way the had come, in a yellow flash.

Now that she was left alone, Tsunade's clone took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come before she turned around to gaze at the stone fortress in front of her. It was a rather large, decrepit-looking building. It had the appearance of a small castle, with tower-like structures on each corner; even if it was intended to be a simple outpost the fact that they had been in times of war when it was being built meant that having it also serve as a battle station was in order. However, when Minato and his team had destroyed the bridge that the outpost was supposed to be overseeing, its construction was halted. That was one of the reasons for the outpost poor state, along with having been abandoned for years. The building was still missing some walls and the ceilings were still incomplete, with metal frames still visible, and several rooms having a direct view of the sky. Now, Kannabi Outpost, just like Kannabi Bridge, were relics of times long gone.

Having decided that the pass to ponder on the last war was over, Tsunade's clone went straight for the building, her stride firm and her head held high, she needed to project as much power and respect as she could.

The blonde woman pushed open effortlessly the large wooden door of the outpost, the door cringed as it did so and threatened to fall from his now rusty hinges to reveal the interior of the building. The fake Sannin could see nothing in the empty concrete room as her eyes adjusted to the shade. After that, the Shadow Clone walked into the room and saw another door at the end of it, and without wasting another second she approached it and opened with care. The next room was much bigger than the one in the entrance, but it was almost just as barren but at least there was proper lighting in this one as parts of the roof were missing and the natural daylight filtered through. Fake Tsunade notice that in the middle of the room was a large rectangular rock table with chairs made of stone all around it, but the most important thing was that she spotted the diminutive figure of the Tsuchikage sitting on the head of the table with another man standing beside him with his arms crossed, a rather famous Iwa Jounin named Kitsuchi. The Sannin could not see or feel anyone else's presence, which had to mean that the two men had to be clones too, they would not risk being by themselves and getting their leader killed, which was fair, Tsunade had taken the same precautions.

Tsunade shot a glare at Ohnoki which he returned in full force while his son just stared at her with a harsh look. Then, the blonde woman proceeded to slowly make her way towards the table, her footsteps echoing in the mostly empty building as she kept her eyes locked on the Tsuchikage while he followed her with his gaze. Once the woman reached the table, she took a single moment to wipe off the dust from her chair before she sat down at the foot of the table to have a direct look at Ohnoki.

Both leaders just kept looking at each other without saying a word, setting the aggravating tone for the conversation they were going to have.

Kitsuchi just looked between the leaders, feeling tense in anticipation and wondering when they would start to talk.

''Ohnoki'' Said Tsunade simply, breaking the silence at least.

''Tsunade'' Replied the man in kind. That short exchange being the extent of their greetings.

''I was wondering if you would show up'' Said with severe eyes.

''I'm not a coward. Unlike you, tree-huggers'' Ohnoki shot back.

''Funny coming from the leader of a nation infamous for the use of underhanded tactics'' Replied Tsunade smugly.

''That's enough of this!'' Said Ohnoki, trying to keep his cool. ''I didn't come here to throw insults at each other. Tell me about my granddaughter. You said you had her in your custody. I travelled all the way here just so I could hear you elaborate on it, so spit it out already''

Tsunade scowled dangerously at the Tsuchikage's disrespect. ''You don't get to make demands to me, Ohnoki. You are the one who attacked unprovoked my teammate and our Jinchuuriki, you are the guilty party here''

''Unprovoked?'' Repeated Ohnoki with indignation. ''The Yondaime killed more Iwa Shinobi than I can count. The man is dead now, so is only natural for the son to pay for the father's sins''

Tsunade widened her eyes in shock at Ohnoki's statement. _''So they know''_ Though the woman as she narrowed her eyes in realization. So Iwa didn't attack Naruto because of the Kyuubi but for his parentage. ''So that's what this is about? You risked the life of your men, of your Jinchuuriki, and of your own granddaughter just because you are afraid of the legacy of a dead man? Pathetic'' Said the Hokage with disdain.

''That 'dead man' was the reason you are still standing'' Said the Tsuchikage. ''I know that his child is learning his father's techniques. I couldn't just allow you to raise a second Yellow Flash, the very same man that killed over a thousand of my men''

If it hadn't been for the severity of the situation Tsunade would have laughed at that. Naruto the second Yellow Flash? Not even close. ''So let me get this straight, you lost a good chunk of your forces, you lost both of your Jinchuuriki, your village is in shambles, and your granddaughter ended up as my prisoner because you were paranoid of a boy still in training? You must be so proud of that''' Taunted Tsunade.

The small man gritted his teeth in rage, trying to ignore the woman's taunt. ''''And I suppose that you must have proof to support your claims that Kurotsuchi is with you'' Said Ohnoki with incredulity.

''Yes, as a matter of fact, I do'' Replied Tsunade with a sly smirk. Then, the Hokage pulled out a crystal ball from her robes before she put it on the table.

Ohnoki widened his eyes in recognition when he spotted the glass orb. ''Is that what I think?'' That had to be one of those rare crystal balls used to perform the Tomegane no Jutsu. With that, the user could see the location of anyone they wished. The only downside was that the one performing the technique had to know perfectly the Chakra pattern of the person they wanted to spy. He had heard that the Sandaime Hokage had owned one of those, but it was just a rumor, now he saw that it was true.

''Oh so you know what this is'' Said Tsunade with a triumphant grin. With this, Ohnoki would not be able to deny her proof. ''In that case, you can see for yourself''

''Kitsuchi'' Said the Tsuchikage simply, commanding his son to get the ball. Ohnoki had never performed the Tomegane no Jutsu, but he knew how to do it.

The Jounin nodded obediently before he started walking along the length of the table at a quick pace, carefully retrieving the ball and making his way back, eager to see if what the Hokage said was true. After that, he placed the orb just in of his father.

''Be careful with it, though. You don't want to destroy it by accident'' Warned Tsunade. Not only was the orb made of glass, but it was also a copy, the result of the Kage Bunshin Jutsu. When one performed the Shadow clone technique, the Jutsu made a perfect copy of the person along with everything they had on them, tools included, but they were a clone too and they were subject to the same rules: If it got hit hard enough, or the Chakra powering ran out, it would dispell.

Ohnoki stood up in his seat, due to his stature it was needed so he could handle the ball. He made some hand seals before he put the palms of his hands around the orb. ''Tomegane no Jutsu(Telescope technique)'' Muttered the diminutive man. After a few seconds, the Tsuahikage and his son could see a blurry image starting to manifest itself inside the crystal ball as it slowly got clearer and more defined, once the image settled, both men felt relief watch over them once they saw Kurotsuchi through the glass. The girl was in what looked to be a simple room, not unlike one you would find on most houses, she was laying face up on on a bed seemingly sleeping soundly as they could notice the slight movement of her chest as she inhaled and exhaled. She had a relaxed posture with a small green book on one hand but overall she really looked to be unharmed.

Kitsuchi had to use all his willpower to avoid shedding tears in joy. He had thought that he would never see his daughter's face again, knowing that she was alive and well was the best notice he could get as a parent.

Ohnoki was doing a better job at hiding his content but he still let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Most nights he had trouble sleeping with the death of his granddaughter on his conscience, now he just had to get her back home to atone for that mistake.

''As you can see the girl is fine'' Tsunade interrupted the Iwa ninjas, breaking their attention from the crystal ball and back to her. ''She is staying at an apartment in Konoha. I have one of my Shinobi checking up on her periodically, making sure that she has proper food and clothing. On occasion, she is also allowed to roam free in the village, with a proper escort of course. Overall, you can say that she has been treated more than fairly'' The Hokage omitted the mention of Kurotsuchi's friendship with Naruto as she was sure that Ohnoki and Kitsuchi would not take kindly in knowing that she was friends with the son of their worst enemy.

''Okay, enough games. What do you want in exchange for my granddaughter?'' Said Ohnoki with severity. Tsunade would never keep Kurotsuchi alive and in comfort if she didn't want something for her rescue.

''Don't get ahead of yourself, I do want something in return for her safety'' Said the Sannin. ''But that's not all I want. I also want you to answer for your attack on Jiraiya and Naruto''

''And what do you have in mind?'' Asked the Tsuchikage. It was expected that she would want him to compensate her for that, so he might as well just get it over with.

Tsunade put her elbows on the table, clasping her hands in front of her face as she looked at the Tsuchikage coldly. ''One billion Ryo'' Said the Sannin with a serious face.

''What?!'' Shouted the Tsuchikage and even Kitsuchi had a bewildered look at the declaration. ''If that's the case, you might as well just say that we are never getting Kurotsuchi back. We don't have that kind of money to spare!''

''I didn't say you had to pay it all at once'' Said Tsunade. ''Each month I'll be sending you a team from Konoha to get payments of fifty million Ryo. As for the girl, you won't get her right away. She will stay with me until you have paid all your debt, to ensure that you don't back down''

''That's unacceptable!'' Yelled Ohnoki. ''If we are to pay you such exorbitant quantity of money we are taking her with us as soon as possible!''

''I'm afraid you have no choice'' Said Tsunade with an icy look. ''If you refuse to pay, I'll send all of my forces to crush you. I would make sure to bury you and your nation in rubble''

That statement left Ohnoki and Kitsuchi speechless, with eyes wide in astonishment. They would have never expected the student of the peace-loving Sandaime to make such a threat.

However, Tsunade continued. ''You lost a good number of Shinobi, as well as your Jinchuuriki. You would stand no chance against us. If you don't comply not only will we see a new war, but Kurotsuchi would be the first casualty too. Is up to you to decide if it's worth it''

Kitsuchi's shock was still evident in his features. A billion Ryo?! You could start your own nation with that. In the state Iwa was in, they needed all the income they could get if they were to recover properly. Also, Konoha was going to be holding Kurotsuchi until the debt was paid?! That would take a couple of years! He could not stand the thought of his daughter enduring that much time in there, stuck alone with people that hated her, the wait would be unbearable for Kitsuchi but what other choice did they have? The other alternative was to start a fight that they could not win and the would be signing Kurotsuchi's death sentence on top of it.

Ohnoki's mind was in a similar state to his son's. That amount of money was preposterous. Iwa needed the money, they still had yet to recover from the fuckup that was the Jinchuuriki capture mission. Iwa might be weaker than Konoha right now, but if he accepted the Hokage's terms it in the long term it would leave them in an even worse position. If they paid thirty million that they so much needed every month they would never catch up to Konoha, but the Tsuchikage guesses that Tsunade already knew that, that's why she was doing this. Ohnoki hated to think this but he had to ask himself if Kurotsuchi was worth hindering the development of their entire village, it killed him inside to even think that about his granddaughter but he was a Kage and he had to think of his village first. But there was also the lingering threat of the possibility of a war, a war they would most likely lose if he didn't accept the Hokage's offer.

''We can pay twenty million a month'' Said Ohnoki through gritted teeth. ''Fifty is too much''

''It will be fifty, no less than that'' Said Tsunade with a cold gaze. ''And you better be on time with the payments. If you don't fulfill your quota I'll be sending you your granddaughter in pieces'' Tsunade knew that Naruto would never allow something like that to happen, but Ohnoki didn't have to know that.

If Ohnoki and Kitsuchi's eyes hadn't been murderous before they sure were now after that statement.

''I didn't think you had it in you, Tsunade'' Said Ohnoki with barely repressed rage. ''Menacing another country with the possibility of war, and threatening a man with the dismemberment of his own flesh and blood. I don't see the pacifism that Konoha is so famous for''

Tsunade leaned a bit into the table to emphasize her next words. ''You attacked two people very dear to me. If you think I'm being unfair you should have thought about this before you attempted to kill my teammate and my godson. You are lucky I'm just making you pay me back in Ryo''

''How do I know that you will keep your word?'' Inquired Ohnoki.

''You don't'' Responded Tsunade. ''You are in no position to ask for proof. You'll just have to trust me''

Kitsuchi frowned, waiting expectantly for what his father would choose, not like they had much of a choice anyway. If their villages fought right now Iwa would lose, but if they went ahead with paying one billion Ryo they would end up even weaker than Konoha in the long run, so they would just have to trust that Tsunade was honorable and didn't take advantage of their weakened position. It was a terrible predicament for sure, having to depend on the goodwill of your enemies wasn't a good idea. In that case, the smart choice could be to deny pretend that they are going along with Tsunade's idea and they could attack while Konoha least expected it, and even then they would probably lose anyway. Mobilizing the amount of forced needed to have a shot in defeating Konoha would be too large to keep hidden for long, Konoha would realize what they were up to in no time. But Kitsuchi could not help but feel selfish, he would rather get the option wich he could get to see his daughter again, even if it conflicted against his sworn duty as a Shinobi. _''What will you decide, dad?''_ Thought the Jounin as he shot a side glance towards the troubled Tsuchikage.

Ohnoki stared at the table with his face downwards. He didn't want to bend in the face of the Hokage, but what choice did he have? He could either tell her to piss off, killing Kurotsuchi in the process and causing a war he could not win, which would result in getting most of his people killed too. And on the other hand, he could give a good part of his financial resources to Konoha, setting their recovery back a few more years and putting them in an even worst position against Konoha, and he didn't even have a guarantee that they would not attack Iwa once they have dried them of their money.

Tsunade and Kitsuchi stood silent for several minutes, just looking at Iwa's leader and waiting patiently for his decision.

''I'll do it'' Said Ohnoki finally, face still downwards.

''Sorry, I couldn't hear you'' Replied Tsunade cheekily.

''I said I'd do it!'' Repeated Ohnoki, this time raising his head to meet Tsunade's eyes with his angry ones. ''You'll get your billion Ryo. I'll give you fifty million a month. But you don't touch Kurotsuchi or my country''

''Don't worry about the girl'' Said the woman. ''As long as you keep your end of the deal and she keeps behaving I won't touch her. Regardless, I'm glad that you saw reason and avoided a needless bloodshed, smart choice''

Ohnoki growled in annoyance. He never had much of a choice in the matter and here Tsunade was acting as if he had. ''Will this be all?'' He just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible and end this humiliating experience.

''I guess it is'' Said Tsunade with a triumphant grin, which just served to intensify the glares of the two men. Tsunade stood up from her stone chair and turned around in the opposite direction. ''It was nice that we could settle this, Ohnoki'' Said the woman without looking back as she finally realized the clone Jutsu and she dispelled in a puff of smoke, transferring all the memories of what happened here to the real Tsunade in Konoha.

Kitsuchi looked at the fuming face of his father, knowing that he was doing his best effort to keep his composure after that demeaning deal he had been forced to make.

''I know it wasn't an easy choice to make dad'' Said the Jounin in an attempt to help his leader and father. ''You did what you had to do to keep every one of us safe, you had no alternative''

''Stop, Kitsuchi'' Said the Diminutive man. ''I don't want to talk about this. We have no need to be here anymore, let's go''

Kitsuchi nodded in agreement. If his father didn't want to speak of this he would respect that. With that, both men made a single hand seal, and just like Tsunade before them, they dissapeared in a puff of smoke, leaving the building alone once again as it had been for several years now.

 **Author's note:**

 **Here it is guys, the next chapter! To be honest this wasn't my most favorite chapter to write. I mean, I didn't hate to do it, but it certainly wasn't as fun as previous ones. Except for the Kurotsuchi and Sakura interaction, that one was fun, except that it was hard, I had already mentioned how much trouble I have getting Sakura right so you can imagine my struggle.**

 **Nevertheless, this was a neccesary chapter, and you will see it in the future.**

 **Thanks again for reading my story! And as always, please review or PM me, any is very much appreciated, but only if you want to, just taking your time to read my fic is enough to make me happy :)**

 **See you next time!**


	24. Chapter 24: Talent And Hard Work

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 24: Talent And Hard work

''Kurotsuchi are you there?'' Said Naruto as he banged on the tomboy's door. They were supposed to start their training today and he was ecstatic at the prospect. He was about to continue his incessant knocking when the door suddenly opened to reveal the disheveled face of Kurotsuchi.

''Naruto, it's early in the morning'' Said the girl with a yawn before rubbing the bags under her eyes. ''What are you doing up at this hour?''

Naruto tilted his head in confusion. Did she forget? She had been just as excited by the training as him. ''We were going to train together, remember?''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that. That's right, their training starts today! She had been tripping herself with guilt over her conversation with Sakura the day before that the thought of her new training regime completely slipped her mind. ''I think I overslept. I'll get ready in a moment'' Said the girl as she rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of her drowsiness. ''Still, I didn't expect you this soon. Did you even eat breakfast?''

''Now that you mention it, I didn't'' Said the blond as he scratched the back of his head. He had been too eager to start his training with Kurotsuchi that he didn't even consider breakfast.

Kurotsuchi sighed, it was just like Naruto to neglect such things in his hastiness. ''In that case, come in. I'll make something for both of us''

''Really? You don't mind?'' Said Naruto with a smile, perking up at the offer.

''I have to make my own breakfast anyway, so why not. I can make for two while I'm at it'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Wow, thanks! In that case, I would love to have anything you want to make!'' Said Naruto with a wide grin.

''No problem'' Said the tomboy before she and Naruto entered the apartment.

After that, Kurotsuchi went into the kitchen, taking a frying pan from one of the cabinets before she went to open the fridge while Naruto sat down at the table in the living room as it was the only one in the entire apartment.

''You like eggs?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she cracked open some eggshells before pouring the contents on the frying pan. Followed by quickly putting some slices of bread in the toaster.

''Sure'' Naruto responded plainly. ''You know, I'm just realizing that I've never seen you cook before''

Kurotsuchi furrowed her brow thoughtfully. ''You are right, I really never thought about it, not that it matters''

''It matters to me, now you really got me curious to try your food'' Said Naruto with a toothy smile.

''Well, not to brag or anything but I know my fair share of dishes'' Boasted the tomboy with pride.

''Really? Looking at you, I never would have taken you for the cooking-type'' Remarked Naruto.

''What's that supposed to mean?'' Inquired the pink-eyed girl with a raised eyebrow. Was he implying she was not feminine? Well, he wasn't wrong but saying that to a girl wasn't appropriate regardless.

''N-Nothing! You are just so amazing as a Kunoichi that I presumed that you spent all your time training or something!'' Said Naruto quickly once he noticed the annoyed look that the girl had shot him.

Luckily, the Kunoichi's smile returned after Naruto's explanation much to the boy's relief. ''I suppose I understand why you would think that. You see, growing up it was just my father and me, so I took it upon myself to do the chores around the house, cooking included. Eventually, I became very good at it'' Explained the girl. If you spent years doing the housekeeping it was only natural that one became proficient in it.

Naruto nodded in understanding, that made sense. Then, he leaned on the table, cushioning his head with his arms while he contemplated Kurotsuchi. ''So you are a good ninja and housekeeper too? Man, the guy you end up marrying is going to be lucky'' Said the blond in admiration.

Naruto's statement made Kurotsuchi stumble momentarily while she continued to scramble the eggs. She turned to look at Naruto with a flushed face. ''Marry?'' Asked the shocked girl.

''What, you don't want to marry?'' Asked Naruto.

''Is not that but I just...'' Said the girl as she tried to find the words to express herself. ''For me, becoming a good Kunoichi always came first, that and getting to be Tsuchikage in the future. With my aspirations, my mannerisms, and with my grandpa as the Tsuchikage, I always ended up scaring most boys away from me. I Just...I dunno I supposed that I would end up alone'' Admitted the girl with a bit of shame. She had always been fine with being single all her life, she simply never had any rush in starting a family, if it happened it happened, but since it was expected for a girl of her standing to marry, she knew that it sounded pathetic admitting that out loud.

''I think that the boys you've met are just stupid then'' Said the blond with a frown. ''You are an outstanding Kunoichi, the future Tsuchikage, and you are good at doing house chores on top of it. Those guys must be blind for not seeing what an amazing girl you are''

Kurotsuchi was speechless and she promptly turned her head to the side to avoid showing her blushing face to Naruto as she guessed it had to be as red as a tomato. She took the frying pan off the cooker and she pretended to be examining the toaster to keep her back turned to the blond. ''D-Do you mean that?'' She couldn't help herself from asking, though she still kept her face hidden.

''Every word, Dattebayo!'' Exclaimed the Jinchuuriki. ''You would be a great wife''

The still blushing girl brought a hand close to her chest, still processing what the blond had told her. Naruto thought she would be a good wife? Hearing that was surprisingly pleasant, she had never taken pride or interest in excelling in feminine endeavors, she simply didn't consider those things too important, but for some reason hearing Naruto say those words brought forth a pleasant feeling, an emotion she could not quite identify. But in the end, she decided to attribute the butterflies in her stomach to her hunger. ''Breakfast is almost ready'' Announced the tomboy, trying to calm herself as she didn't want to return to the table with a crimson face.

''All right, I can't wait!'' Said the excited blond. And sure enough, in just a couple of minutes, Kurotsuchi came back to the table with two plates in her hands. She put one of them in front of the expecting boy before she too sat down on the table with her own meal.

''It looks good'' Said Naruto as he examined the scrambled eggs with toasted bread before he grabbed his utensils. ''Itadakimasu!''

Kurotsuchi looked on with a pleased grin as Naruto started to dig into his food with content, alternating on munching on the toast to the scrambled eggs. She also started taking small bits of food, albeit at a much slower pace. However, her mind kept going back to what Naruto had said and that made her think about something she hadn't considered. ''And what about you Naruto, ever had a girlfriend?'' Inquired the girl tentatively. '' _What am I asking?''_ This wasn't her business but her curiosity was killing her. After she had told Naruto about her own experiences with boys, or rather the lack of thereof, she wanted to know the same about him.

Naruto stopped eating to look at the girl with a lost look, taken aback by the unexpected question. He swallowed hard before responding. ''A girlfriend, you say?'' Asked the blond which earned him a nod from the Iwa Kunoichi. ''Not really. Back in the academy most girls were crazy over Sasuke and barely paid attention to the other boys. And outside of the academy no one approached or talked to me, so I didn't really speak to many girls save for Ayame-Nee. But maybe Sakura-Chan will accept to go out with me one of this days, though, so there's that'' Finished the boy with optimism before going back to his food. Nowadays he didn't feel the strong need to chase after Sakura as he had done in the past for some reason, but he still said that out of habit.

At the mention of the pink-haired medic, Kurotsuchi froze just as she finished taking a bite from her food. She frowned in guilt at being reminded of how the previous day she had sabotaged Naruto's chances with Sakura and hearing the hopeful and futile wishes of the Jinchuuriki just made it worse.

Naruto stopped eating when he noticed the face that the girl was making. ''Is something wrong?''

Kurotsuchi's thoughts were interrupted and she returned her gaze to the boy in front of her to find him looking at her with worry etched on his face.

''Y-Yeah I'm fine'' Responded the girl with reluctance.

''You sure?'' Asked Naruto, a little skeptic. ''You had this weird almost sad look in your eyes''

''It seems I'm still a bit sleepy. I'm fine, seriously'' Replied the girl, rubbing her eyes once again to make it a bit more convincing.

Naruto nodded, trusting her word before he kept eating while Kurotsuchi kept herself from showing any more of her downed mood to avoid concerning the boy further.

In just a few minutes the blond put down his chopsticks on the empty plate as he gave a satisfied sigh. ''That was good!''

''You finished already?'' Asked the Kunoichi.

''Yep! You really are a great cook! That was the best breakfast I've ever had!'' Exclaimed the boy.

''C'mon it was just scrambled eggs and toast'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''It was nothing special''

''Of course it was!'' Said the blond like. ''No one's ever prepared me breakfast before and yours was very good!''

A look of realization hit Kurotsuchi. Naruto had been alone most of his life, especially growing up. He never had anyone there for him to even do something as basic as prepare him a homemade meal once in a while. Once again she found herself feeling somber at Naruto's past, someone as good-hearted as him didn't deserve to have that kind of life. At that moment, an idea came to her head, but she had to ask Naruto about it first. ''Did you really like it that much?'' Inquired the girl.

''I did!'' Said Naruto, nodding enthusiastically. ''Very much, in fact''

''Then, I was thinking that I could...emmm'' Said Kurotsuchi dumbly, averting her eyes from Naruto, a blush threatening to appear on her face again while she used her chopsticks to play with her food. ''Maybe...every day before training, I could prepare you something to eat. If you want that is''

''Really? You would do that for me?'' Asked Naruto, stunned. Not having expected such offer.

''I mean, if you really like it so much it would be no problem to prepare breakfast for the two of us'' Said Kurotsiuchi, still poking her food. ''I really don't mind''

Naruto beamed at her. ''If it's no problem, I would love to eat more of the meals you prepare. Thanks, Kurotsuchi, you are the best!''

''Well, someone has to make sure that you eat properly each morning since you don't seem to do it as well as you should'' Replied Kurotsuchi, returning the blond's smile with a tender one of her own. Both teenagers stared fondly at each other for a few seconds after that until Kurotsuchi coughed in her hand to break the silence. ''I think I better go take a shower. Wait for me, we'll be on our way when I'm done''

''Aren't you going to finish your food?'' Asked Naruto, noting that the girl's plate still had some leftovers.

''I never eat that much in the morning. Besides, I can eat the toast on the way to the training grounds'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Having said that, the Iwa Kunoichi made a quick stop to her room to grab some clean clothes before going to the bathroom.

Naruto, on his part, decided to at least help Kurotsuchi with the dirty dishes as he started putting away the plates. He looked forward to having breakfast in the future with the girl and knowing that she was going to be preparing his food in the morning made him chipper at the prospect, not to mention that he was enjoying spending time with her more day by day.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi was in the bathroom preparing to take her shower. She had just finished rinsing her teeth as she stared at her reflection in the mirror above the sink. _''A good wife, huh?''_ Thought the girl, examining her appearance. She could not picture herself as a wife at all, heck, she had never even dated anyone before. Still, she could not help but smile as she remembered Naruto's compliment. Now that she thought about it, Naruto would make a good husband too; he was very attentive and supporting, he was kind, protective, positive, and good hearted. But speaking of which, she supposed that Naruto and she were going to resemble a married couple after they started eating breakfast together every day. That mental image didn't bother her, and in fact, she found it amusing. She grinned as she imagined herself and Naruto, living together as they smiled happily at one another, glad for each other's presence as a couple of pink-eyed blond kids circled them while they laughed loudly...When she realized what she had just been thinking, Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock, resisting the urge to slap herself. _''This is what I get for reading Icha Icha before going to bed''_ concluded the tomboy before she finished undressing and entered the shower, deciding to take a cold bath.

-Konoha's Training Grounds-

When the two teenagers reached the training grounds, Kurotsuchi was surprised to find Kakashi in there, but she also noticed that he was accompanied by another man. Said man had short spiky brown, dark almond-shaped eyes; he was wearing the standard Konoha uniform but his forehead protector was like a helmet that framed his face but only on the front side of his head.

''Hi guys, I was expecting you'' Said the copy ninja amicably with a wave of his hand.

''Kakashi? What are you doing here?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi. She hadn't expected to see the Sharingan user today.

''Yesterday I asked Kakashi-Sensei to give us a hand with our training'' Explained Naruto. ''Actually, I'm surprised to see him on time''

Now Kurotsuchi understood why Naruto had left the day before to find Kakashi. Not that she minded, Kakashi was supposed to be a genius and having someone of his caliber as an instructor could only benefit them. However, a part of her was disappointed that it wasn't going to be just her and Naruto.

''Hey Kakashi-Sensei, who is this?'' Asked Naruto as he glanced at the unknown man.

''Naruto, Kurotsuchi, this here is Yamato'' Said Kakashi, introducing the man. ''He will be accompanying us in our training''

''Hi Naruto, I was sent by Tsunade-Sama to help you should the Kyuubi give you trouble'' Said the man now known as Yamato. ''Pleased to meet you''

''You can help me with the fox?'' Asked Naruto. ''How is that?''

''Yamato has a set of very special abilities only available to him'' Explained Kakashi. ''One of them is the ability to suppress the Kyuubi's Chakra''

''Really?'' Said Naruto with glee. Not having to worry about the fox was a great relief, however, he still didn't want to depend on Yamato entirely, the man would not be by his side forever, so Naruto needed to train himself to do it alone. Now the blond knew what Tsunade had been talking about when she mentioned that she had an idea to keep the Kyuubi at bay.

''That's right, as long as I'm here the fox won't get in the way of your training'' Said Yamato before he turned to look at Kurotsuchi. ''You must be Kurotsuchi-San, nice to meet you too''

''Pleased to meet you too, sir'' Said Kurotsuchi politely. She didn't enjoy having more strangers around but if it was for Naruto's benefit she was okay with it, and even if she wasn't there was nothing she could have done about it so she might as well just accept the man's presence.

''Don't worry, I won't get in the way of your training at all'' Said Yamato before he put his hand on his chin in a thoughtful manner. ''Actually, if you need additional help I would be more than happy to give you assistance''

''Thanks for your help, mister Yamato'' Said Naruto casually with his hands behind his head.

''Okay everyone, I think is time to start your training if you are ready'' Said Kakashi, getting serious.

Now both teenagers knew that playtime was over, so they followed Kakashi's example and directed their full attention to the copy ninja, earnestly waiting for his directions.

''The failsafe way to get you stronger is to improve your Jutsu. While we could focus on your Genjutsu or Taijutsu I feel is better to focus on your Ninjutsu, at least for now. We can strengthen the other two once you have progressed a bit'' Said Kakashi. ''So in my opinion, the best way to start is to work on Chakra Nature Transformation since most Jutsu will become easier from mastering that''

''Uh? Nature Transformation? What's that?'' Asked the puzzled Jinchuuriki.

''That's when you manipulate your Chakra to turn into the element of the technique you want to use, Naruto'' Explained Kurotsuchi. Normally, she would be more surprised that Naruto didn't know about this but she had already gotten used to Naruto's ignorance. In Kurotsuchi's opinion, it was kind of admirable how far Naruto had come without knowing such things, it just served to show the power of his determination.

''For example, if you use a fire Jutsu you have to make your Chakra change into fire'' Added Yamato. ''Or if you use a water Jutsu you change it to water, and so on and so forth''

''So if I want to use a cool fireball like Sasuke's I need to make my Chakra into fire?'' Inquired Naruto.

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes at the mention of Sasuke but at least Naruto had the right idea.

''Yes, that's how it works basically'' Said Kakashi. ''But there is a method to it and it varies depending on the Chakra type you are using. Naruto, because you are a beginner at this it would be best that we focus on the Nature Transformation of your Natural Affinity''

''Right, my Chakra Affinity, of course!'' Said Naruto, pretending to be knowledgeable about the topic. ''I should use that...thing...''

After a few seconds of silence, Yamato decided to speak again. ''You don't know what that is either, do you?''

''No...''Replied Naruto with a dejected face.

Kurotsuchi decided to give a hand to her training partner. ''Chakra Affinity is the type of Chakra that you are naturally inclined to use. Everyone has one. For example, mines are Earth and Fire but that is an exception, I have two only because of my Kekkei Genkai, so unless you have one too that gives you more than one Affinity you are stuck with the one you were born with'' Explained the tomboy wisely. ''Simply put, I can learn Earth and Fire Jutsu more easily. While I can learn other Nature Transformations it would be harder because those are not of my Affinity''

''Wow, Kurotsuchi that's awesome! Man, I wish I had a Geke Kenkai'' Said the blond.

''it's Kekkei Genkai'' Corrected Kurotsuchi with a deadpan look. She hoped that this wasn't a bad omen of how difficult it was going to be training with Naruto. She liked the guy, she really did, but boy was he thick.

''But how do we know what my Affinity is?'' Asked Naruto.

''I'm glad you asked'' Said Kakashi before he pulled what looked to be pieces of paper from his vest. ''With this''

Naruto eyed the pieces of paper in wonder. ''What's that gonna do?''

''This is a special paper that reacts differently to the types of Chakra you channel into it'' Explained the cyclops. ''If your Chakra is fire it will ignite and turn to ash, if is water it will get wet, earth it will crumble away into dirt, lightning it will wrinkle, and wind will split it in two''

Naruto looked at the paper in amazement, he didn't know that paper could do that. ''Can I try using one?''

''That's the idea. Here'' Said Kakashi as he handed the blond a piece.

Naruto eagerly took the piece of paper before he closed his eyes to focus his Chakra into it, and in just a moment he reopened his eyes when he felt the paper move to see that it had split into two.

''A wind Affinity'' Remarked Yamato. ''That's rare in Konoha. Is a very good Affinity for fighting too. It can severe and slice almost anything of you are good enough with it''

''Perfect! I'm astounding'' Declared Naruto with pride.

''Don't get ahead of yourself, you dunce. You still have to master it first'' Kurotsuchi scolded him. ''If you don't know how to use it it won't do jack''

''Sorry, that's true'' Said Naruto. Then, his eyes lit up in curiosity when a thought crossed his head so he turned to Kakashi again. ''Hey Kakashi-Sensei, what would happen if Kurotsuchi channels his Chakra in the paper? You said she had two affinities, right? So would it become dirt or ash?''

Kurotsuchi was glad that Naruto had been paying attention and on top of that he was making a good question. So she decided to humor him as a reward. ''Can I?'' Asked Kurotsuchi at the copy ninja, extending her hand, requesting for some of that paper.

''Sure, go ahead'' Said the Sharingan user as he handed the girl a piece of the paper. It would be a good demonstration to show Naruto the differences between Affinities.

Kurotsuchi channeled some of her Chakra into the paper, much faster than Naruto had done, and the boy could only stare in amazement when he saw the paper crumble into dirt shortly before turning into a bright orange hot mass as it spilled on the ground, resembling a lava-like substance.

''That's so cool! It even did something completely unexpected!'' Exclaimed Naruto. Kurotsuchi just kept surprising him more by the minute, he was starting to feel the difference in their skills even further, but rather than disheartening him it just motivated him to catch up to her.

Kurotsuchi smiled proudly at the positive reaction of her display. Even if it wasn't a big deal in her opinion, it still felt nice to be praised.

Kakashi cleared his throat, prompting the two teenagers to pay him attention again. ''Now that we know Naruto's affinity, the first order of business is to train his Chakra to become wind'' Said the cyclops as he held a leaf in his hand for them to see. ''Naruto, the first step of your training will be to cut this leaf using only your Chakra. Place it between your palms and try to use your Chakra to cut it in half''

''That's is? That's all I have to do?'' Said Naruto, taking the leaf from Kakashi's hand.

''Naruto, it may sound easy but is anything but'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''This is step one in Chakra Transformation training. For the average person finishing this stage takes around six months, give or take''

''What?!'' Shouted Naruto, causing the rest of the people present to flinch. ''I can't wait that long just to cut a stupid leaf!''

''Well, I'm sorry but that's just how things are!'' Said Kurotsuchi, losing a bit of her patience at Naruto's childish behavior. ''If you want to learn wind Jutsu you'll just have to suck it up and do it'' Even if one could technically learn how to perform elemental Jutsu without undergoing the Nature Transformation training it was not recommended, not only would learning those techniques would be exponentially harder but they would not be nearly as strong if you skipped the training.

''Actually, I have come up with a training method that will dramatically cut the time it would take Naruto to learn it'' Said Kakashi.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi turned to look at Kakashi, curious to know what the man was talking about. Kurotsuchi was especially puzzled, to her knowledge there was no way to cut corners when learning this, so she wanted to know what Kakashi meant by that.

''We'll use Naruto's Kage Bunshin'' Said the copy ninja.

''My Kage Bunshin?'' Asked the boy. ''I don't understand''

Kurotsuchi, on her part, widened her eyes at the revelation. She didn't know why she didn't think about that before! If they used that, Naruto could become a powerhouse in no time!

''Naruto, remember our mission back in The Land of Frost?'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Yeah, what about it?'' Responded the confused blond.

''Remember what we found out about the Shadow Clones? How when they dispelled, everything they had learned returned to you?'' Said Kurotsuchi, hoping that the boy would catch up to what she was trying to say.

''I do remember that, yes'' Said Naruto, still not comprehending the point of this.

''Okay, let me put is this way: When you sent them to look for Kabuto's base and they got destroyed you immediately knew where to look. Now, Imagine that instead of sending them looking for a hideout you had sent them to learn a new Jutsu, the moment they dispelled you would have known everything they learned on it'' Explained Kurotsuchi. She smiled when she noticed Naruto's eyes lit up, seemingly starting to understand what she was getting at, so she continued. ''If you were to put a hundred clones to learn a new technique you would learn it a hundred times faster! With this method, you could learn anything you want in a tiny fraction of the time!''

''Hell yes!'' Said the blond, giving a small jump and smiling ear to ear. ''I will be unstoppable with this new training method. I can teach Kurotsuchi the Kage Bunshin and she will learn with me just as fast! We will be invincible!''

''I'm afraid that can't be'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''The Kage Bunshin takes too much Chakra just to keep active and when you use it you split your Chakra among the clones, so you have even less energy to maintain it''

''I didn't know you had small reserves'' Said Naruto innocently, not realizing that he sounded a bit rude.

''My reserves are just fine, thank you very much'' Responded Kurotsuchi, crossing her arms over her chest.

''Naruto, is not that Kurotsuchi's reserves are small, it's just that yours are gigantic'' Said Kakashi. He could attest to that, he had already taken a look with his Sharingan at Kurotsuchi's Chakra and the girl had a lot of it, even more than Kakashi in fact. ''You are a Jinchuuriki, you have more Chakra than most Kages. Due to that, you can keep the Kage Bunshin active for a long time but the rest of us aren't so lucky''

''I see'' Said Naruto. It was a shame that Kurotsuchi could not train the same way as him, but she was talented, a lot more than him. He was sure that she would learn quickly enough even without using Shadow Clones.

''Kurotsuchi, I take it that you have already done Nature Transformation training?'' Asked Kakashi. Not only was the girl a Jounin, which they needed to use at least two chakra Natures to be one, but she appeared to know about the process already.

''I have. I finished earth and water both in a month at the same time'' Said the tomboy, not being able to keep herself from showing off her accomplishments.

 _''A month for both?! That's insane'' ''That is unbelievable!''_ Though Kakashi and Yamato at the same time.

Kakashi now knew why Kurotsuchi was a prodigy and why she was the prime candidate for Tsuchikage. Learning Nature Transformation in such a quick time was unheard of. Even Sasuke, who was a prodigy, had taken him close to two weeks to learn lightning. Sure, Kurotsuchi did it in a month but it was two of them and one wasn't even of her affinity!

''And what about fire?'' Asked Kakashi. ''You have an affinity for it, right?''

''That...I have yet to learn'' Admitted the pink-eyed girl. At the time of her training, she had refused to learn anything that had to do with fire Jutsu since that was Konoha's specialty and she had wanted to distance herself as much from Konoha as possible. ''I mean, I know how to use the Yoton just fine but I learned how to use it through trial and error. It took me a long time to get down as I only knew earth until I eventually started to get a feel for it''

 _''This girl is something else indeed''_ Thought Yamato. As the only remaining Mokuton user, which was a mix between water and earth, he understood how perfect the balance between Chakra had to be to use a Kekkei Genkai based on mixing two affinities. Just using normal Jutsu without learning the proper Nature Transformation first was hard as hell, using Kekkei Genkai Jutsu without learning one of the elements that composed it was next to impossible and still this girl had managed it. If the girl's claims were true, Yamato had a newfound respect for her. With talent like that, there was no doubt that she would go far.

''That is...very impressive, Kurotsuchi. If I was in your place, I don't think I could manage that. Iwa should be proud of you'' Said Kakashi with an eye-smile.

Kurotsuchi crossed her arms and beamed at the praise. She loved the recognition she was getting, and from the famous Kakashi the copy ninja no less!

Naruto noticed the looks that the two adults gave Kurotsuchi and he could not help but feel a bit envious. Even if he couldn't fully understand what they were talking about, he knew that what she did had to be something extremely hard to pull off if even Kakashi said he could not replicate it. This just served to remind him of how far apart they were in their skills and talents. He had this feeling of déjá vu, it was the same situation as Sasuke. When he had been around, everyone always noticed his accomplishments and ignored Naruto's and he feared that the situation would repeat itself. And while he was happy for Kurotsuchi it made his own prowess feel lackluster in comparison.

''Then, we will focus on your fire element'' Said Kakashi to the girl. ''Even if you already are able to use the Yoton, I can guarantee that your mastery of it will improve in leaps and bounds when you get your fire affinity down''

Kurotsuchi could not disagree with Kakashi, that seemed to be the logical place to start. She had refused to develop her fire affinity when she had hated Konoha with a passion, she still didn't like Konoha of course, but she was already living there so what the heck. ''Okay, what should I do?''

''The same leaf exercise as Naruto, but you will burn the leaf to a crisp instead of cutting it in half'' Informed Kakashi.

''I can do that'' Said Kurotsuchi, completely confident in her ability.

''Okay, you already have your tasks so let's get started'' Ordered Kakashi.

''How many clones should I make, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked Naruto.

Kakashi seemed to think it over for a moment before he pointed at a tree a few yards behind him. ''As many as the leaves on that one''

''You got it!'' Said Naruto as he made his favorite hand seal. ''Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!(Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)'' In the blink of an eye, the clearing was filled to the brim with copies of Naruto who charged at the tree, jumping and climbing at it to grab a leaf.

Kurotsuchi was speechless, she had never seen that many Shadow Clones in her life. She knew that Naruto could do a lot of them but this was insane, she couldn't even count them!

Once all the blonds had a leaf they didn't waste any time to put it between their palms and started focusing their Chakra on it, furrowing their brow in concentration as they did so.

Kurotsuchi had already shaken off her the daze that the sight of the clones had caused her and she went to fetch her own leaf, following Naruto's example she put it between her hands as she too channeled Chakra to it.

Kakashi knew that they were going to be at this for a while, so with that in mind, he pulled out his newest Icha Icha book from his pouch to pass the time while Yamato sat at the base of another tree, ready to use his restraining Jutsu if Naruto lost control of the Kyuubi.

They stayed like that for a couple of hours, and fortunately, there were no issues with Naruto losing control but what did startle the two Konoha Jounin was when Kurotsuchi came up to them with a victorious grin.

''I'm done'' boasted the girl.

''What!?'' Inquired Kakashi with a wide eye.

Even Yamato was staring agape at the girl. _''No way! It has only been two hours!''_

''Show me'' Said Kakashi, still having difficulty believing it.

Kurotsuchi proceeded to hold a leaf with her index finger and thumb before the entire thing burst into flames and fell to the ground in ashes.

''Don't be so surprised'' Said the tomboy as she noticed the looks of shock everyone was giving her, even Naruto and his clones had stopped their own training to stare at her. ''As I said, I already got a feel for it when using the Yoton, yeah it wasn't perfect but is not like I didn't manipulate fire in some form''

''Even so, completing the first stage in just two hours is nothing short of amazing'' Said Kakashi. ''But seeing as you are finished with the leaf exercise we can go to stage two'' Declared the copy ninja.

''Which is?'' Inquired the tomboy.

''Now you have to light a whole tree in flames with just a single burst of your Chakra'' Said the cyclops.

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding, she had already expected something like that. ''What if I light the whole forest on fire by accident?'' Asked the Kunoichi. She didn't want to end up in the Hokage's office for committing arson.

''Yamato and I will be on the lookout, if the flames get out of hand we'll help you put them out'' Reassured Kakashi. Not to mention that with Yamato here they could replace the trees.

''I'll get to it then'' Said the girl before going to find another tree.

After witnessing Kurotsuchi's surprising progress, Naruto and his doppelgangers returned to their own exercise with renewed vigor in an effort to catch up to his friend.

''Kakashi-Senpai, are you sure this is a good idea?'' Asked Yamato in a whisper to the Jounin at his side.

''What do you mean?'' Responded the copy ninja, diverting his eye from his book to look at Yamato sitting beside him.

''Is it a good idea to be training the girl? She is an Iwa Kunoichi and a very exceptionally talented one at that. Is like we are doing Iwa's job in training one of their best weapon, at least the best one they still have after they lost their Jinchuuriki'' Said Yamato with concern. He didn't mind the girl personally, she seemed to be a good kid, well, as good as a Shinobi kid could be anyway, but they still had to consider the implications of strengthening an enemy ninja, if she were to turn on them in the future when she became Tsuchikage they would have made their own grave by training her now.

''I wouldn't worry about it. This could actually help us in the long run. If she becomes Tsuchikage this could help the relationship between our villages, I don't think she will forget our role in her development'' Said Kakashi. ''I would have thought that you would have asked your friends in the ANBU about her, they have been watching over her for a while now. They can attest that she had not tried anything against us so far and her friendship with some of our ninja seems genuine, the one with Naruto especially'' He could ask them right now even if Yamato so chose, they were always around Kurotsuchi so they had to be hiding among the trees somewhere in the training grounds.

''I hope you are right, Kakashi-Senpai'' Said Yamato. He had in fact talked to his ANBU comrades about the girl beforehand and they all said the same thing: She had never done anything out of line save for a couple of discussions with Naruto here and there but nothing major, still he couldn't help but feel some reservation about the prospect of making a powerful and influential enemy ninja even stronger.

''Kakashi speaks the truth, Tenzou-San''

Both men turned to look at the source of the voice and found Yugao approaching them along with Sai.

''Yugao-San? I didn't expect you to show up'' Said Kakashi in surprise.

''We just changed shifts in the ANBU and it was my turn to watch Kurotsuchi'' Explained the woman as she stood beside Kakashi and Yamato with Sai right behind her. ''I already hang with you lot so there is no point to hide''

''And Sai too? You should know we don't have any team exercises today'' Said Kakashi to the pale boy.

''I know, I just wanted to see the progress of Naruto-Kun and Kurotsuchi-San'' Said the ROOT member with a smile. He didn't mention that he also wanted to learn more about the strange relationship the blond and the Iwa girl shared.

''By the way Yugao-San, it's Yamato now not Tenzou, so please refer to me by that name'' Said the Mokuton user.

''So overly concerned by etiquette as always'' Said Yugao. Tenzou, or rather, 'Yamato' had always been one to greatly respect rankings or codenames.

''Hey Yugao-San, Sai, what's up'' Said Naruto once he spotted the purple-haired woman followed by several similar greetings from his clones.

When Kurotsuchi heard the ruckus that Naruto and his clones had been making, she too noticed the ANBU and gave her a wave from the distance, but upon seeing Sai waving back along with Yugao, the girl frowned in distaste and went back to putting her hands on the tree she had been trying to burn for a while now.

''Please guys, don't stop for us!'' Yugao shouted to make the army of blonds return to their training.

Sai for his part, just found himself a nice patch of land and sat down before pulling out his sketchbook and started drawing.

''How is the training coming along?'' Asked Yugao casually. At first, she had been rather surprised at seeing such a large number of Shadow Clones but after thinking about it for a moment she realized what they were trying to accomplish, she had to say that it was pretty smart to use the Kage Bunshin to speed up the learning process.

''It has been going fine. Kurotsuchi already completed the first part of the Nature Transformation training'' Said Kakashi earning him a surprised look from the ANBU woman.

''What, already?! Didn't you guys just start a few hours ago?'' Said the shocked Yugao.

''The girl is incredibly talented, even more than we anticipated'' Said Yamato with seriousness.

Yugao often forgot that Kurotsuchi was a prodigy, the best one in Iwa if their intel was correct. However, it was easy to forget that since they had never seen the girl learning anything new until now.

''I think this is long enough'' Muttered Kakashi as he closed his book, after that he walked up to Naruto. ''Naruto, stop. Is time to dispell the clones and compile what they have learned''

Naruto and his clone army quickly halted what they had been doing as they looked unsurely at each other. ''Are you sure this is a good time, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked one of the blonds among the crowd.

''I'm sure, just do it'' Repeated Kakashi.

Obeying his Sensei's orders, all the boys, save for the real Naruto, made a hand seal which caused them to dispell, filling the training grounds with smoke.

''How do you feel?'' Asked Kakashi once the smoke had cleared.

Rather than answering right away, Naruto kept staring silently at the leaf in his hand. It was a weird feeling having information from a lot of different sources entering his head all at once, but when he finally assimilated everything he learned, he grinned with confidence. ''I think I got it, I can do this'' Said the boy with optimism. Then, suddenly Naruto's eyes rolled back into his head as he stumbled to the ground, luckily Kakashi was able to grab him before he hit the floor.

''Naruto, are you okay?!'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she quickly made her way to the unconscious blond being held in place by Kakashi. She had been paying attention to see what happened when Naruto dispelled his clones, but as soon as she had seen the boy stumble she immediately rushed to his aid.

''Naruto will be fine'' Reassured Kakashi. ''The Kage Bunshin not only transfers what the clones know but also the mental stress they each have''

So Naruto had fainted due to pent up stress? Despite that, knowing the cause didn't make Kurotsuchi worry any less. However, before they did anything else, Naruto started groaning in discomfort as he started to stand up.

''Wha-What happened?'' Asked the boy as he brought a hand to his head. Now that he could stand again by his own, Kakashi let go of his student.

''You fainted. It seems like you also gather you clones stress along with their memories'' Explained Kurotsuchi. ''How do you feel?''

''My head hurts but other than that I'm good'' Said Naruto as he rubbed his brow.

''I think this is a good point to rest'' Declared Kakashi. ''You should rest your mind until you can try the exercise again''

Kurotsuchi agreed to that idea, with Naruto like this it would not be a good idea to keep going. ''Let's go, Naruto'' Said the girl as she grabbed Naruto's shoulder, prompting him to follow her.

Naruto didn't object to the idea and he let the girl drag him along.

The two teenagers slowly made their way to the other side of the clearing until they finally came across a tall tree that was thick enough so that the both of them could lean comfortable against it.

Naruto sighed contently as he sat down against the tree trunk and Kurotsuchi followed his example sitting right beside him. Even If Kurotsuchi wasn't as tired as Naruto she didn't want to leave the blond by himself while he rested his aching head. Also, she could always use a moment to enjoy his company in peace.

''You were amazing today, you know'' Said Naruto, shooting the girl a tired grin. Despite his best efforts, his mind felt heavy and somber. That's what having the accumulated stress of hundreds of people did to you.

''Thanks, you weren't half bad either'' Responded the girl, looking at the boy and returning his smirk. She thought that Naruto would have preferred to rest in silence until his head felt better but if he wanted to talk it was fine by her.

''I wouldn't say that'' Said the blond with a dejected look. ''I still can't cut the damn leaf''

''Naruto, you have made great progress in such a short time. This training would usually take months and you are almost halfway through in just a few hours'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''But you managed to finish with your own already and you aren't using any clones like I do'' Said Naruto.

Kurotsuchi frowned at the way Naruto was acting. _''Don't tell me he is feeling inadequate''_ ''Naruto, just because I was done with my part faster doesn't make your own accomplishments any less amazing. You can't go around comparing yourself to others, you are you and not someone else''

Naruto took a deep as he diverted his gaze to the training ground. ''I didn't mean to take it out on you, It's just...for most of my life I had been compared to other people that were better than me in every way and it always appeared that no matter what I did I never could be as good and in result no one ever expected anything great from me. Since I was alone until I joined Team Seven I never had anyone to help me through. I know that I have trouble learning stuff that other people pick on pretty quickly and is frustrating not being able to. I just want to be better that's all''

Kurotsuchi hadn't known that Naruto harbored these kind of insecurities. She guessed that in his tiredness he was revealing a side of him that he didn't let himself show often, and in a way, she felt honored that he felt comfortable enough being with her to show his vulnerabilities. ''That's not true, we do expect great thing from you, me included. I know that you can manage almost anything you set your mind to and you never give up. Also, you are not alone, not anymore or ever. At the very least I'll always be there to help you along, and so will Kakashi and Sakura. Even just now remember that we are training together and we'll help each other grow stronger just like we promised'' Said the girl with a reassuring, warm smile. Even if she knew that Naruto's mental exhaustion was the one doing most of his talking, it was good to remind him that he wasn't alone.

Naruto turned his tired eyes towards the girl and gave her a tender smile in appreciation. ''I'm sorry, you are right. My mind is still fuzzy, I didn't mean to be such a downer''

''I know, don't worry about it'' Said the girl warmly.

''Sooo, any tips on my problem with the leaf?'' Asked Naruto with a toothy grin, trying to get rid of the somber atmosphere he had caused previously. Also, he knew that Kurotsuchi was going to be able to help, she was a genius, he was sure she would think of something.

Kurotsuchi bit her lip thoughtfully as she pondered on how to aid the blond. She wasn't sure if she could help him with that since their affinities were different, but the eager and expectant face of Naruto gave her the resolution to do her best. ''I'm not a wind user but I guess I can tell you what I do. Whenever I'm using my earth Jutsu I mold my Chakra to be as dense and sturdy as possible, you know, so it better resembles earth. Back when I was burning my leaf I applied the same principle, I visualized my Chakra as if it was boiling, causing it to heat itself. Maybe you have to do something similar with wind. Wind is supposed to be the sharpest of the affinities, so I would recommend visualizing it as some sort of knife or as a congregation of small blades, that's what I would do in your place''

Naruto perked up at the explanation and he thought about it silently before he rested the back of his head against the tree trunk. ''visualizing it as small blades, uh? That sounds good'' Replied Naruto as he gave a loud yawn. ''I will try that...'' And just like that, his mental exhaustion finally took its toll on him and he fell asleep soundly against the tree.

Kurotsuchi glanced at him with an amused grin, glad that Naruto was getting some proper rest at last. She decided to imitate him and she too leaned her head against the tree, closing her eyelids. However, she opened her eyes in shock when she felt something touch her, and she turned to look at Naruto who in his sleep he had slipped and caused him to support his head with her shoulder.

Kurotsuchi blushed at the intimate action but she could not blame the boy as he wasn't even conscious. She considered waking him up but the peaceful face of Naruto made her reconsider. She clicked her tongue, wondering what to do. But now that she thought about it, she didn't mind too much the contact, even if it made her stomach feel like it had a hundred butterflies flying around it also felt strangely soothing. _''Just letting him this one time it's fine, right?''_ Concluded the girl as she closed her eyes again, doing her best effort to calm her beating heart. After several minutes, Kurotsuchi also managed to fall asleep, a content smile gracing her lips as her own head leaned against Naruto's.

''Is this normal behavior between them?'' Yamato asked Yugao and Kakashi. Even if they were at the other side of the training grounds they could still clearly see the two Shinobi they were training.

''More or less'' Said Kakashi casually while Yugao imitated the concerned face of Yamato.

''I don't know if letting them do this is right'' Commented the Mokuton user with a stern look. He didn't know if letting their Jinchuuriki be so intimate with the Tsuchikage's granddaughter was a good idea.

''Is is not our business how they handle their personal relationships'' Said Kakashi as he flipped a page from his favorite book. ''Besides, would you go up to them and disturb them without any real basis?''

Yamato could not argue with that. He would not feel comfortable interrupting them, it would just make things awkward. Also, they pretty much lived together as far as he knew, even if they tried putting restrictions on them it wouldn't work with them living so close and they had to interact daily.

Yugao was glad that for once people understood the dilemma she had while dealing with the teenagers.

Meanwhile, as the adults looked on with different levels of astonishment, Sai just kept drawing. He was just finishing his sketch but he wanted to get the scene in front of him just right. He didn't know why he was so interested in the friendship that those two had, but he was willing to learn more about it and if he could he would help his new friends to nurture it, but in the meantime he hoped that with these sketches he would understand better the kind of relationship Naruto and Kurotsuchi shared. As soon as he was done he glanced down at his work, which was the image of Naruto and Kurotsuchi sleeping together at the base of the tree. _''I think I'll name this one: Fondness''_

 **Author's note:**

 **Damn it! I so wanted to have this up yesterday! You see, Yesterday was the first year anniversary of my fic. That's right, exactly one year(and a day) ago I posted this story. I wanted to upload the very same day I first shared this fic with you all. It sounds silly but I'm proud of myself. I never expected that I would stick around this long with the story, I thought that I was going to get bored of it sooner or later like I do every time I start doing something on a whim. Having made it this far feels good and like an accomplishment!**

 **Also, I finally reached 200K words! I remember when just reaching 100k seemed so far away, now I'm just like 'fuck that, I have double that now' a** **nd I still have so much left to write!**

 **Ahem! Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter and please review or PM me if you have the chance :)**


	25. Chapter 25: To Define A Relationship

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 25: To Define A Relationship

''I did it!'' Shouted Naruto victoriously as he held a leaf completely sliced by half. After the advice that Kurotsuchi had given him the day before he figured it would be best to start today's training using her method and the pointers she gave him. And along with the experience garnered by his clones yesterday he had finally finished the leaf exercise!

''Very good, Naruto. You finished faster than I had been expecting'' Kakashi congratulated his student. The results that the training did were astonishing, for someone like Naruto to get something in a single day when that usually took six months was beyond amazing.

 _''I knew you could do it, Naruto''_ Thought the Iwa girl at the distance, with pride. She was resting against one of the trees in the training ground. She had already burned several trees and was now taking a break. Unfortunately, the trees she had burned had steadily caught on fire when she applied Chakra instead of igniting all at once like she was supposed to do, so she still had progress to do herself.

''I'm ready for the next step! What do I have to do, Kakashi-Sensei? Cut a tree in half with my wind Chakra?'' Asked the blond, using Kurotsuchi's exercise as a basis for his guess.

''No, your exercise will be quite different from hers'' Informed Kakashi. ''But I have to talk to Yamato about it, we'll need his help for the next part. Wait while I go to get him'' Finished the cyclops before he turned around to go fetch the Mokuton user.

At the same time, said man was sitting at the edge of the forest with Yugao at his side, he was still in the training grounds but he was keeping his distance while he supervised that Naruto didn't lose his control of the Kyuubi, but so far he hadn't seen even a signal of the fox. ''I wonder if my presence here is even necessary'' Commented the man with a sigh. Naruto looked stable enough to him, he personally didn't believe that they needed his help to keep him controlled but one could never be too safe he supposed.

''I can understand the feeling'' Said Yugao, leaning on a tree with her arms crossed. She had been watching over Kurotsuchi for a while now, and while she didn't mind the girl and would even go as far as say she liked the young woman, she had never experienced any instance where she had stepped out of line -at least not enough to warrant such tight security- so she could relate to Yamato.

''By the way, Yugao-San, there is something I've been meaning to talk with you about'' Said Yamato with a serious tone of voice.

''What is it?'' Asked the purple-haired woman with a raised eyebrow, she had felt the shift in mood on the man so whatever he wanted to say to her had to be important.

''I...I don't feel comfortable talking about this so I'll go straight to the point and hopefully make it quick'' Said the man, increasing the woman's suspicion. ''We have to do something about those two'' Said Yamato sternly.

''Who? Kurotsuchi and Naruto?'' Inquired the ANBU.

''Yes'' Responded Yamato plainly.

''What about them?'' Said Yugao, feigning ignorance. She already suspected what Yamato was going to say and she didn't feel comfortable with the topic.

''You saw the way they act with each other, so I think you know what I'm referring to'' Said Yamato, remembering the content faces of the two teenagers as they slept at the base of that tree leaning on each other for support. ''And I'm guessing that you have witnessed a lot of similar moments between them''

''I have'' Said Yugao, looking at the ground in guilt. She had never gone out of her way to stop them and maybe if she had they would not be in this predicament right now.

''No offense but, If you already knew they were starting to feel this way about the other, why didn't you do something about it?'' Asked Yamato, genuinely curious. Yugao had to know that the consequence of letting Naruto and Kurotsuchi become something more than friends could be severe. Even being friends was a complicated situation, things could get ugly if Iwa found out their closeness, let alone what shitstorm it would cause if the two teenagers fell in love. Even Tsunade would lose her head if they became an item.

Yugao stayed silent at the question. She had her own reasons but she didn't feel like sharing them with Yamato. She didn't have anything against him, but she didn't know the Mokuton user well enough to feel comfortable sharing her reasons as they were personal.

Yamato sighed. If Yugao didn't want to explain the cause of her inactions that was fine, he would not pry. ''Nevertheless, I feel that is up to us to do something. For some reason Kakashi-Senpai doesn't seem concerned so we'll have to do it''

''And what do you propose we do?'' Inquired the woman.

''At the very least talk to them. I'll talk to Naruto and explain the situation to him and why it is so delicate. You should do the same with Kurotsuchi as you are more familiar with her'' Said Yamato.

''I'll see what I can do'' Responded the woman somberly. She really didn't want to involve herself but it was true that the danger of such relationship was too high. But she would wait for the moment to act, she would rather not come out of the blue to say it outright.

''There you are, Yamato'' Said Kakashi, interrupting the conversation as he approached the two ninjas.

''Remember what I told you'' Said Yamato to Yugao one last time before he regarded Kakashi. ''Hey Kakashi-Senpai, I saw from over here how Naruto finished the leaf exercise. Impressive''

''That it is'' Said Kakashi. ''But back to the topic, I wanted to ask you for help on the next step...''

As the three adults talked, Naruto used his small resting time to catch up with Kurotsuchi. He made his way to the tree she was resting against and found himself a nice spot beside her as he sat down.

''Kurotsuchi, look at this! I finally finished!'' Said the blond with pride as he held the sliced leaf for Kurotsuchi to see.

''I saw you earlier. Congratulations'' Said the girl with a grin. ''Now I need to find a way to burn this thing down, though'' Added the Kunoichi as she pointed with her thumb at the tree behind her.

''I'm sure you'll get it down in no time. After all, your sage advice is the reason I finished already with my step one'' Said Naruto.

''Well, I'm the oldest and most experienced of the two. I must be able to give you advice my little Genin'' Said the girl with crossed arms and a proud grin.

 _''That's true, she is older than me''_ Naruto had completely forgotten about that. With how much they hung out, little things like that slipped his mind. ''Just so you know, I'm turning sixteen next month, so you are not that much older'' Said the blond, trying to downplay their age difference.

''And? I just turned eighteen last week, so yes, I'm still two whole years older and smarter'' Boasted the girl.

''What?! You are eighteen?!'' Asked a bewildered Naruto. ''Why didn't you say anything?! Had I known I would have done something for your birthday!''

The girl shrugged, not making a big deal out of it. ''I didn't think it was important. Also, we were busy on important missions, remember?'' It wasn't like she was going to be announcing to everyone her birthday just because.

Naruto frowned in discomfort, it didn't feel right to not do anything for his best friend's birthday. Kurotsuchi and he had gone through so much in such a short amount of time, he wanted to let her know how much he appreciated her presence. ''Maybe we could, you know, celebrate it late?''

''What are we doing?'' Said Sai with a smile, suddenly appearing beside them.

''Ahh Sai where did you come from?!'' Said Naruto, having stood up along with Kurotsuchi when they had been startled.

''What's wrong with you, faggot?!'' Said Kurotsuchi considerably more enraged than her blond friend.

''I just wanted to give my input'' Said Sai with a puzzled look. ''I read in a book that friends should do good things for their friend's birthdays''

''And didn't that book tell you that you should not sneak up on people?!'' Said Naruto.

''Besides, we are not doing anything for my birthday so get that out of your head'' Added Kurotsuchi stubbornly. ''Not that you would be invited even if we were''

Sai tilted his head in confusion and disappointment. It seemed that she still didn't like him.

But before the three teenagers continued their conversation, Kakashi came back.

''Hello ,Sai. Good to see you'' Said Kakashi not even bothering to ask the boy why he had come, it was obvious that the boy had some weird interest in Naruto and Kurotsuchi and with his stunted social abilities he didn't know exactly how to properly convey it. Not that Kakashi minded, Sai wasn't doing anything wrong, the boy couldn't be faulted for wanting friends even if he was clueless how to go about it. Then, Kakashi addressed Naruto once more. ''Naruto, come. Is time for the next step''

''Alright! See you later guys!'' Said Naruto before he followed his teacher.

Once Naruto left, Kurotsuchi eyed Sai with distaste. Not wanting to be left alone with the weirdo, she decided to take her leave too. ''I'll go looking for another tree for my training'' Said the girl as she left to another section of the training grounds away from the ROOT member.

Sai just shrugged before he pulled out his sketchbook and sat down against the tree that Naruto and Kurotsuchi had been occupying previously.

Kakashi walked Naruto to the center of the training grounds where Yamato had already been waiting for them with his arms crossed.

''Okay, for this second stage of your training I have asked Yamato for help'' Informed Kakashi.

''But what is he gonna do?'' Asked Naruto with squinted eyes. He didn't see what Yamato could do that Kakashi couldn't. He hoped that Kakashi wasn't pulling the same stunt he had done in the Chunin exams and passed him on to by trained by someone else.

''I'm glad you asked'' Said Kakashi. ''Yamato is just perfect for the next step of your training. I haven't told you this yet, but he is the sole remaining user of the Mokuton Kekkei Genkai, the very same that the Shodai Hokage used''

''I would not say that it's the same. My skills can't compare to the Shodai's'' Said Yamato modestly. ''Though I do have the Mokuton''

''The 'Mokuton'? What's that?'' Asked Naruto.

Yamato smirked before he did a quick hand seal. ''Allow me to demonstrate'' After that, the ground behind the man cracked as a mass of wood made its way through until it materialized properly and formed a tree.

The event was so surprising that it even caught Sai and Kurotsuchi's attention from their sides of the training grounds.

 _''Is that Mokuton?!''_ Thought the Iwa prodigy in awe. There have been reports in Iwa about a supposed Konoha ninja that could use the dead bloodline of the Shodai Hokage. She thought it had been just a rumor until now.

 _''So that's him''_ Thought Sai. Danzo had told him about how they used to have a member that was able to use the famous Wood Release, supposedly because the man had been an experiment of Orochimaru as a young boy. It was good to finally meet him, he had been one of ROOT's best members as far as Sai was aware.

''Wow, I've never seen a Jutsu like that'' Said Naruto in astonishment. And the Shodai also used this? That made Yamato much cooler in Naruto's opinion. However, that still didn't answer Naruto's question. ''It's amazing and all but I still don't understand how this helps my training''

''Let me explain'' Said Kakashi. ''The Mokuton, just like Kurotsuchi's Yoton, is the result of mixing two Chakra natures, this time, is Water and Earth Chakra Natures. He'll help us to create a waterfall''

Instead of waiting for Naruto to ask more question, Yamato got straight into his task. Again, he did some hand seals and a tall wall of dirt was erected right where he had been standing, leaving him on top the giant structure as he gazed down at Kakashi and the stunned Naruto. After that, a torrent of water started gushing down the earth wall, effectively forming a standing waterfall in the middle of the training grounds.

''Your new objective is to cut the waterfall using only your Chakra'' Said Kakashi which broke Naruto out of his stupor at seeing Yamato's amazing Jutsu.

''Just you watch, Kakashi-Sensei, I'll get it down in no time just like the leaf!'' Said Naruto with a raised fist. ''But can it be bigger? I can't fit that many Shadow Clones in there''

Kakashi turned to look up at Yamato intently, silently asking if what Naruto wanted was possible.

Yamato knew that doing something like that would drain His Chakra terribly, but seeing Naruto and Kakashi's expectant faces practically left him no choice. And so, with another quick hand seal, the waterfall elongated itself to cover more ground, so much in fact that it almost spread out in the entirety of the training grounds. After that, two trees manifested themselves at each extremity of the waterfall, a thick branch connecting them and forming a makeshift bridge that hovered several feet in the air just in front of the water current for Naruto and his clones to stand directly in front.

Once the waterfall was ready, Yamato fell to his knees, grasping for air. That had taken a lot out of him.

''That's just perfect! Time to start'' Declared Naruto, bringing his hands together for a seal of his own. ''Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!(Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)''

Just like the day before, the clearing was filled with copies of Naruto who gave an enthusiastic yell before they ran to the waterfall, walking on the water until they reached the wooden bridge, got in line, and started channeling their Chakra with a mighty yell.

Now that the waterfall had extended across the training field, Kurotsuchi was just a few meters away from it despite how far away she had been before. She could not help herself from staring from time to time at the army of clones as they tried to cut the water flow. Naruto and his copies had discarded their jacket and undershirt to avoid getting them wet, which left them completely bare from the waist up save for the collar Naruto always wore.

A blush formed on Kurotsuchi's cheeks as she gazed at the blond's toned torso. Naruto wasn't buff but his muscles were defined enough that they were visible, which for the tomboy made for a pleasant sight to see, and with their bodies being wet it made not staring all the much more difficult for the girl. She pressed her palms with yet more force against the tree, trying to burn it with her Chakra in hopes that focusing on her training would take her mind off Naruto, but she still kept looking back from time to time.

Yugao witnessed the girl's reaction from her side of the field, and the ANBU sighed in exasperation. How was she supposed to keep the two stupid teenagers from getting touchy feely if things like these kept happening? It definitely didn't make things any easier.

-Konoha's Streets-

''...And that's what happened'' Said Sakura to Ino. She had just finished retelling her long-time friend about her last mission to bring back Sasuke and their complete failure to do so. The pinkette had been on her way to check on Kurotsuchi and Naruto's training and Sakura took it upon herself to bring them something to eat, which was why she was carrying a basket. On her way to the training grounds she had found Ino and they decided to catch up with each other on their way.

''So Sasuke-Kun still doesn't want to come back'' Responded Ino somberly. When she had heard that Team Seven had come face to face with Sasuke she knew that she had to hear the details personally from Sakura since it was obvious that Sasuke hadn't come back or it would have been all the buzz in the village otherwise.

''Not yet'' Said Sakura with a gentle shake of her head. ''But I'm sure that we'll be able to convince Sasuke-Kun someday. We just have to keep trying''

''I'm surprised. I thought you would be way more depressed about this, forehead'' Said Ino.

''I was, very much so in fact. I was even considering going out with Naruto and see if I could get over Sasuke-Kun'' Admitted Sakura.

''With Naruto? Really?'' Asked Ino in bewilderment.

''Hey, Naruto is not so bad. You know he has gotten a lot better than he was before and I thought I might give him a chance'' Said Sakura in defense of her blond teammate.

''Maybe you are right. Still, I can't picture you with Naruto, though'' Replied Ino. Naruto had indeed changed from three years ago. Yeah, he was still loud and was still a fool most of the time but he was better than he had been before if only slightly. ''At least you came back to your senses in the end''

''Well I didn't do it by myself to be honest'' Said Sakura. ''Kurotsuchi-San actually helped me with it''

''Kurotsuchi?'' Inquired Ino in surprise. She didn't take the Iwa tomboy to be the type to give relationship advice even if Ino herself had only talked to her a few times.

''I was pretty surprised too that she wanted to help'' Said Sakura. ''I just could not hold my feelings bottled up anymore and she happened to be the one that I told how I felt about my constant failures with Sasuke and I said to her that I was considering going out with Naruto, then she reminded me that I can't just give up on Sasuke if he is the person I truly love. She really is not that bad when you get to know her'' That was also part of the reason why Sakura was bringing food to both Naruto and Kurotsuchi, to Naruto because he was her teammate and Kurotsuchi for having been thoughtful enough to help Sakura with her Sasuke issues.

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. Something in Sakura's story wasn't clicking with the Yamanaka. She could not put her finger on it but she felt as if there was something more to Kurotsuchi's actions than she let on. Ino wouldn't be the gossip queen if she didn't know how to read people and interpret their ulterior motives, after all.

Both girls didn't take long to reach the training grounds and once they arrived they stood at the edge of the clearing, staring speechlessly at the gigantic and long waterfall in the middle of the place with an army of Narutos standing in a makeshift bridge.

''Sakura, had there always been a waterfall in here?'' Asked the stunned Ino without taking her eyes off the scene.

''No there wasn't'' Confirmed Sakura, just as shocked as her blonde friend. Just what kind of training were they doing here?

''That's what I thought'' Responded Ino, looking around the place to see who else was there. She could spot Kakashi-Sensei at the distance, reading one of his usual books and two other people were with him: a man that Ino had never seen before and the same purple-haired woman that had been with Naruto and Kurotsuchi the other day. Speaking of which, Ino could see the tomboy at the other end of the clearing with her hands pressing against a tree. Finally, Ino's eyes widened and a blush appeared on her face when she saw a handsome pale-skinned boy sitting a distance away scribbling something on what seemed to be a sketchbook. Ino had never seen that guy around before and with how hot he was -In Ino's minds- that was unacceptable.

''Who is that?'' Asked Ino, pointing with a finger at the new guy.

''Who?'' Asked Sakura before she realized who Ino was pointing at. ''Oh, him? That's Sai. He is the newest member of our team''

Ino took Sakura by the shoulders and stared gravely at her long-time friend. ''Forehead, why didn't you tell me that such a hot guy was on your team?!'' Seriously, what happened to being a good friend?! Your best friend was supposed to talk to you about the new cute guys, damn it!

 _''Sai? Hot?''_ Thought Sakura in bewilderment. She never considered Sai to be that attractive but she supposed that it had to be due to the first poor impressions he gave her, but if she was being honest he did have a pretty boy face. ''Sorry Ino-pig, I guess it just slipped my mind''

''Nevermind that now. I'll go talk to him'' Decided the Yamanaka with fervor.

''If you want to. But just so you know, he is completely and utterly socially inept'' Warned Sakura.

''Bah, how bad can it be?'' Said Ino before she started walking towards Sai.

Sakura just sighed, deciding to let Ino find out about Sai herself and the pinkette proceeded to go for Kakashi-Sensei.

Sai was just giving the finishing touches to his newest picture, a hand on his chin as he debated on a title for his work, when a shadow looming over him and his sketchbook made him realize that someone was behind him. Normally he would have gotten into a combat position for the sudden approach of a stranger, but the newcomer didn't make an effort to conceal their presence and since he didn't feel any killing intent he calmly glanced over his shoulder to find a platinum blonde girl leaning towards him with a friendly grin.

''Hi there!'' Said the chipper girl. ''Sorry to disturb you but I just saw you sitting here by yourself and since I have never seen you around I thought I'd come over and introduce myself. Yamanaka Ino. Nice to meet you!'' Finished the mind reader with her hand extended in a polite gesture.

Sai stared at the hand at his side and he blinked slowly a couple of times. This had been unexpected. Still, he took the girl's hand to return the handshake with a bit of reluctance. ''I'm Sai'' Said the serious young man.

''So, Sai, I heard from Sakura that you are her teammate'' Said Ino, breaking the handshake. ''Why is it that I have never seen you before?'' Of course she already knew that the guy was new on the team but she wanted a topic to break the ice.

''I was just assigned recently'' Explained Sai calmly.

''I see'' Said Ino. ''So, what did you do before joining Team Seven?''

Sai was momentarily at a loss for words, he wasn't allowed to say anything about ROOT, and why would this curious girl care for that anyway? He guessed that this was a common way that people acted when they tried to be friendly and having more friends was always nice, right? He supposed that he could at least tell a half-truth. ''I was an ANBU''

''ANBU? Wow, that is supposed to be hard to get into. You must be pretty strong'' Said Ino with an amicable smile.

''I guess'' Said Sai.

''Did you do a lot of dangerous things in there?'' Inquired Ino, trying to keep the conversation going.

''Yes'' Said Sai, not elaborating further.

Ino kept her smirk and cheerful demeanor on the outside but on the inside she was completely baffled that he wasn't putting any effort into the conversation! He wasn't giving her anything to work with at all!

 _''Okay, change of plans''_ Thought Ino. She directed her attention to the sketchbook in Sai's lap. ''And what were you doing if you don't mind me asking?'' Said Ino as she took a seat beside Sai, making a point to stay close to him.

Sai felt a bit uncomfortable at the closeness of Ino, he wasn't used to having his personal space invaded like this. ''I was drawing''

''Ohh, an artist!'' Said Ino with glee, she liked the creative types. ''What were you drawing?''

''Naruto-Kun and Kurotsuchi-San. I do that often'' Said Sai as if it was the most normal thing in the world.

Ino raised an eyebrow at that. That was weird. It could even be considered creepy in a sense but she wanted to give Sai the benefit of the doubt for the moment. ''Can I have a look?''

Sai didn't see anything wrong with but he was a bit reluctant to show his pictures to a stranger. Still, he complied as he passed the sketchbook to her.

Ino took the sketchbook gently before she started eyeing closely the piece. The picture was of Naruto holding what appeared to be a piece of a leaf to Kurotsuchi, he was beaming from ear to ear as the Iwa Kunoichi regarded him with a look of pride. Ino had to admit that Sai was very good. He had a keen eye for details and the picture looked so lifelike, an impressive feat considering that he just used black ink and a brush.

Ino flipped a page to see another picture of Naruto and Kurotsuchi. The Yamanaka widened her eyes at this one. In the picture Naruto and Kurotsuchi were leaning against a tree, sleeping as they used each other for support. But the content look on their faces was what drew Ino's attention the most.

She flipped yet another page to see another picture of Naruto and Kurotsuchi, laughing at the same time looking happy. The next page was Kurotsuchi appearing to be blushing next to Naruto, probably over something he had said or done.

Sai looked at Ino with confusion as he witnessed the girl's expression getting more and more surprised with each page she flipped.

''Sai, were they actually doing these things or did you just make them up?'' Asked Ino suddenly.

''Those are portraits. They did those things on their own, I just captured the moments between them'' Explained Sai.

Now that Ino had finished going through the pages she now understood what Sakura had told her earlier. So Kurotsuchi had not advised Sakura to not give up on Sasuke just to help her with her relationship problems but she had done it to have Naruto for herself! It all made sense.

This was unbelievable! Earlier when Ino had considered the possibility that Naruto and Kurotsuchi could end up liking each other she had thought the notion as ridiculous and too improbable. However, these pictures proved that they had indeed fallen for each other! This was so exciting and romantic! She loved romance and what a better one than love between people that were meant to be enemies? The thought was too good! She had to think on what to do with this knowledge! Maybe she could tell Sakura or... _''Wait a minute''_ Thought Ino before she turned to Sai, she still needed to find something out before all else. ''Why do you follow them around taking their portraits without them knowing?'' She didn't think that Naruto and Kurotsuchi knew about these, and as sexy as Sai was she wanted to make sure first that he wasn't a creepy stalker.

Sai brought a hand to his neck, thinking on a way to explain himself. ''I just find the relationship they have fascinating and I would like to see how it progresses'' At least that was the gist of it. Sai waited expectantly for Ino to say anything as her serious and emotionless face stared at him and he was starting to wonder if what he had done had been wrong before she gave him a wide grin.

''So you are a romantic like me! You just can't resist wanting to watch their love blossom and mature, right?'' Said Ino excitedly, glad that she and Sai had something in common.

Said nodded dumbly at the girl's affirmation. He didn't know what she was talking about but this reaction was better than the alternative. ''Right'' Wait, did Ino say love? Was that what Naruto and Kurotsuchi felt? That's why they acted like that around each other?

''I wonder if they are going to become a couple soon'' Said Ino with eagerness.

''I don't think so'' Said Sai. ''I don't think even they realize what they feel'' And that was if what Ino said was true anyway, Sai wasn't an expert at these things so he could not know for sure.

''What?! How can they not know?!'' Asked Ino in astonishment. She found hard to believe that they could be so dense, Naruto she could understand but Kurotsuchi struck her as a smart person.

Sai just shrugged in response. How was he supposed to know that?

Ino bit the nail of her thumb in thought. That wasn't right, It just seemed wrong to her that they were oblivious to their own feelings. Suddenly she perked up when an Idea struck her. ''In that case, we'll have to help them see the affection they have!''

''We?'' Asked Sai in confusion at Ino's sudden declaration. She wanted his help?

''Didn't you want to see them end together? That's why you follow them around drawing them right? To capture their growing relationship'' Said Ino.

Sai frowned in concentration. He wasn't sure about this. It didn't feel right to meddle in the affairs of his friends. ''Would this make them happy?''

''What?'' Asked Ino.

''If they got together, would that make them happy?'' Repeated Sai.

''What, of course it would make them happy! Having someone to share your love with is one of the best things in the world!'' Said Ino.

Sai glanced at the distance to see Naruto and Kurotsuchi continue with their respective training. They had helped realize the feelings that Sai had tried to bury deep into himself even if they didn't realize it. He wanted, no, he yearned to know his emotions thanks to those two, helping them be happier in exchange seemed like a fair trade. ''I'll do it, I'll help'' Said Sai with conviction.

Ino smiled victoriously. This was the perfect plan in her opinion, not only was she going to play matchmaker which was one of her favorite things to do but this was also a good opportunity to spend more time with the new hot guy. ''All settled then! First things first, we have to decide how are we going to go about this''

''Do you have something in mind, Ino-San?'' Said Sai, ready to start their planning.

Ino gave him a mischievous smile. ''As a matter of fact I do have some. But you should tell me first things they like to do or things they might have discussed recently. That way it would be easier for us to decide how to get to them''

Sai nodded, that made sense. He hoped that with this he would help his friends become happier.

Meanwhile, just several yards away, Naruto was still concentrated on splitting the waterfall. He was frowning with focus when Kakashi approached him until he stood just below the bridge Naruto was standing on.

''Naruto, want to take a break? Sakura brought you guys some food'' Said Kakashi, knowing that the original Naruto was just above him.

Naruto took his hand off from the waterfall to look at Kakashi below him while the nearby clones glanced back too. ''Did she really? I'm coming!'' Informed Naruto before turning to his copies. ''You guys keep doing what you are doing'' Finished the blond before jumping down the waterfall as his doppelgangers complained about not getting a break too.

Naruto put on his shirt and jacket before he looked at Kakashi. ''I didn't know Sakura-Chan was here''

''She arrived just a few minutes ago'' Sad Kakashi. ''Why don't you go and get Kurotsuchi, the food is also for her''

Naruto nodded obediently before he started printing in the direction of his pink-eyed friend. ''Will do!'' He thought it was very kind of Sakura to bring food not only for him but for Kurotsuchi too. He was glad that it appeared that the two girls were starting to get along better with each other.

He ran over to Kurotsuchi's side of the training grounds and found her standing among charred trees as expected. ''Hey Kurotsuchi! You wanna eat? Sakura-Chan brought some food for us!'' Said the boy as he approached the Kunoichi.

''Food you say? Sorry I'm not hungry'' Said the girl just before a smirk graced her lips. ''More importantly, check this out'' Said the girl as she approached one of the trees that hadn't been burned yet.

Naruto watched her curiously as she did so. She couldn't possibly have finished already, could she?

Naruto's concerns were answered immediately after when Kurotsuchi put both of her hands against the tree and the entire thing burst into flames in a single burst of her Chakra.

''W-Whoa!'' Exclaimed Naruto at the display of the progress she had made, and in such a short time too!

''What do you think?'' Said the girl with had hands on her waist, proud of her achievement.

''I think that you are amazing! You are progressing even faster than I am even using the Shadow Clones!'' Said Naruto.

''I'm amazing indeed, I know. But thanks for the remainder'' Responded Kurotsuchi. ''Let's go, I need to talk to Kakashi''

Naruto nodded, still dumbfounded at her rapid progress.

And with that, both teenagers returned to where Kakashi and Sakura were.

''Hello, Kurotsuchi-San!'' Said Sakura amicably upon seeing the Iwa girl.

''Hi'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I came to see how you were doing with your training'' Said the medic. ''Also I brought you guys some food if you are hungry'' Finished Sakura as she lifted the basket with her arm.

''Thank you for the offer but I pass. I'm really not hungry at the moment'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Oh...I see'' Said Sakura. She felt a bit dejected for her offer being turned down but it wasn't a big deal in the end so she tried to not put so much thought into it.

''Anyway, I'm done with my part of the training'' Said Kurotsuchi as she addressed Kakashi this time.

''So soon?'' Asked Kakashi. He wasn't as impressed as he should be as he was starting to get used to the girl's talents but he was still surprised nonetheless.

''It's true, Kakashi-Sensei. I saw her burn a tree in an instant!'' Said Naruto.

''Still, would you care to show me?'' Said Kakashi to Kurotsuchi.

The girl didn't waste any time and approached one of the nearby trees they had around them, put her hands on the trunk, and after a couple of seconds the tree completely ignited.

''Well well, would you look at that. Another step completed. Good job, Kurotsuchi'' Praised Kakashi.

Sakura wasn't sure what kind of training Naruto and Kurotsuchi were doing, so she just watched curiously at the display.

Naruto on his part, while he was glad for his friend that she was advancing fast, he also felt the urge to catch up lest she left him in the dust.

Kurotsuchi just smiled contently as she crossed her arms. Getting praise from Sharingan Kakashi had to be a good sign of her outstanding skills. ''So what's next? I want to keep progressing right away''

''Are you sure you don't want to eat first?'' Asked Kakashi.

Kurotsuchi just shook her head. ''I'm sure. Just let's get on with this already'' Said the girl eagerly.

''Fine, if you are sure...''Said Kakashi as he turned around. ''Follow me''

After giving a quick wave to Naruto and Sakura, Kurotsuchi went after the copy ninja to another section of the training grounds.

As soon as Kakashi and Kurotsuchi left, Naruto sat down with the basket that Sakura gave him and started to gulp down the food as fast as he could while Sakura stared at him completely startled by his odd behavior.

''I didn't know you were that hungry, Naruto'' Said the pinkette.

''I'm not, but I need to eat fast so I can get back to training!'' Said the blond between mouthfuls.

''Swallow before talking!'' Sakura berated Naruto. ''And what is your rush anyway?''

''I need to catch up to Kurotsuchi. She is already so far ahead in our training I can't afford to waste time!'' Said Naruto as he swallowed Onigiri and sandwiches whole.

''I still don't see what the big deal is'' Said Sakura, still confused. ''Was what she did that amazing?''

Naruto nodded hastily, mouth still full, swallowing hard before answering. ''Yeah, that thing she just did takes most people almost a year to complete. According to Kakashi-Sensei anyway''

''A year you say?'' Asked Sakura, astonished. ''That seems so...unreal, wow'' And considering that they just started training a couple of days ago made it even more amazing.

''That's exactly why I need to hurry, I don't want to be left behind'' Said Naruto before he continued devouring his meal.

Sakura silently observed Naruto eat for a few moments, pondering on what Naruto had told her before she gave a gentle smile. ''You know, I haven't seen you like this for a while now. It sure brings back memories''

Naruto stopped eating to stare at his pink-haired teammate in confusion. ''What do you mean by that, Sakura-Chan?''

''I was reminded of how the old Team Seven used to be that's all'' Said Sakura. ''You were always training in hopes to catch up to Sasuke-Kun just like the way you are doing right now to catch up to Kurotsuchi-San''

Naruto paused to think for a few seconds, that was true, this situation felt a lot like old times. Though, unlike Sasuke Kurotsuchi didn't rub her progress on his face just to belittle him. Still, it was nice to have someone to look up to again. Suddenly, he widened his eyes when a thought crossed his mind. _''Does this mean I'm replacing Sasuke?''_ He shook his head, it wasn't right to think like that. After that, he went back to eating the food Sakura brought him.

Meanwhile, once Kakashi and Kurotsuchi were a considerable distance away from the others the copy ninja stopped, prompting the girl to do the same as they stood in front of each other.

''Now for the next and last step, I want you to learn a Fire Jutsu'' Said Kakashi. ''Once this is over you can say with confidence that you have mastered your Fire Affinity. When you are done you can either continue to learn more Jutsu or you can experiment with your affinity on your own, your choice''

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''I understand''

''The Jutsu I'm about to teach you is the Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' Declared Kakashi.

Kurotsuchi just stared emotionless at the copy ninja. She wasn't really excited at the prospect of learning the technique. ''Can you maybe teach me something, I dunno, a bit less basic?'' Not to mention that the Jutsu was a signature move of the Uchiha clan as they been the ones to create it. After her encounter with Sasuke, she would rather not share any techniques with the asshole.

''Be as it may, there is a reason why this Jutsu is considered a staple among our fire users'' Explained Kakashi. ''Even if it is a basic Jutsu it is a very versatile one. It can be very powerful or very weak depending on the amount of Chakra you put into it, you can also use it continuously like a flamethrower or like a projectile if you condense it into a ball. It's the perfect entry and all-purpose fire Jutsu''

Kurotsuchi sighed, resigning herself to it. ''Fine, I'll learn the damn thing'' She might as well get this over with so she could start experimenting with her affinity by herself. Besides, a basic Jutsu could still be incredibly powerful if mastered to its full potential so it wasn't like this was a complete waste of time. With that, she continued to pay attention to Kakashi as he taught her the necessary hand seals and a few basic pointer for the Jutsu...

After thinking for a few hours and pacing back and forth, Yugao had finally made up her mind was ready to talk to Kurotsuchi. Yamato was right, she had to do something about the relationship Naruto and Kurotsuchi had or this delicate situation could get dangerous. So, she approached Kurotsuchi, who had been left alone to practice on the Gokakyu.

Kurotsuchi had just finished spitting a flame the size of her head when she felt someone getting closer from behind. She turned around to see Yugao coming towards her.

''You are doing great. Most people can barely make an ember at this point or they just choke on the smoke in their throats'' Said Yugao.

''I just want to finish with this so I can do my own thing'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I'm sure you'll have no trouble mastering it'' Said Yugao.

''Thanks, I guess'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I would be ashamed of myself if I could master a Jutsu of this level''

''I see...'' Said the ANBU, finding difficult to start the topic she wanted to address. Due to that, both women just stood silently in front of each other awkwardly for a minute until Kurotsuchi finally had enough.

''Did you want something?'' Inquired the Iwa girl with impatience.

Yugao sighed, this was something that had to be done. ''I did want something. I wanted to tell you that...'' Said the purple-haired woman, still hesitating to continue.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow. Yugao was being weird, which was especially odd coming from the usually calm and collected ANBU.

''I wanted to let you know that...I wish you good luck in your training'' Said Yugao with uncertainty, feeling disappointed in herself for chickening out.

''Thank you?'' Said Kurotsuchi, now even more confused that she had been before. For Yugao to come here just to tell her that seemed a bit random.

''Anyway, if you need any help you can just ask me'' Said Yugao before turning around and started to walk away, feeling ashamed and like an idiot. _''I'm such a coward''_ Thought the woman. She didn't have the guts to destroy the relationship that was forming between Kurotsuchi and Naruto. She knew how rare and wonderful true love really was, and she also knew how terrible it was to lose it. The empty void of sorrow that Hayate's death left her had been the most terrible thing she had ever experienced. She knew how dangerous the two teenagers evolving relationship could become and as a Shinobi of the leaf it was also her responsibility ensure the village's safety, she could not forgive herself if she were to kill off the teenager's relationship just like Yugao's had her own snatched away.

''Wait'' Kurotsuchi called out to the woman which made Yugao stop to glance back at her. ''You said I can ask you for help, right?''

Yugao nodded to the girl.

''In that case, can you help me improve my Kenjutsu?'' Requested Kurotsuchi. She didn't know why Yugao had been acting strange a moment earlier but that didn't matter. If the older woman was offering her help she would not let the opportunity go to waste when she needed to improve with her sword. She knew that Yugao's specialty was Kenjutsu so it could be a chance for training.

Yugao was taken aback, she hadn't expected the girl to actually take her help in the training. ''But aren't you busy already with another Jutsu?''

''I'll have it down soon. After that, I'll train however I want, and my Kenjutsu is what I want to work on polishing'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Yugao thought it over for a few seconds, wondering if it was a good idea for her, Kurotsuchi's ANBU overseer, to get involved in this. But she supposed that it should be fine as long as they practiced with dull blades. ''Alright, I'll help you out as soon as you are done with that''

''Fine, just don't back down later'' Finished Kurotsuchi with a smirk.

''I wouldn't dare'' Replied the ANBU with a smile of her own before she went on her way, leaving the Iwa girl to continue practicing her fire Jutsu.

At the same time, Naruto, for his part, had just finished the meal that Sakura had brought him and was returning to the waterfall to continue his training. ''Alright, I'm ready! Before day ends I'll have this step complete!'' Declared the blond.

''Hey, Naruto''

The boy stopped to see Yamato calling up to him as the man watched him from the shade of a tree.

''Mister Yamato?'' Asked Naruto.

''Come here for a second'' Said the man.

Naruto shrugged before he went over to where the Mokuton user was to see what he wanted.

''What's up?'' Said Naruto as he stopped just in front of the man.

''First of all, I wanted to congratulate you on your improvement. You have advanced so much in such little time'' Said Yamato with a grin. ''Keep the good work''

''Hehe, I think I have done quite a bit of progress, huh?'' Said Naruto sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. It was nice to have someone praise him for a change considering that with Kurotsuchi's achievements always seemed to outshine his own.

''However, I have another matter to talk to you about'' Said Yamato, going straight to the point as he crossed his arms.

Naruto felt the shift in tone of the man and that put him on edge. ''What about?''

''I wanted to talk to you about Kurotsuchi'' Said Yamato. ''Or more precisely, the relationship you have with her''

''The relationship I have with her?'' Repeated Naruto with a tilt of his head. ''What's wrong with our relationship?''

''Don't take this the wrong way, but I need you to stop being so close to her'' Said Yamato.

''What do you mean by that? Why does that even matter?'' Asked Naruto, feeling slightly annoyed and abrasive. He barely knew Yamato and he was presuming to tell him how to treat his friends? He sure as hell wasn't going to just drift away from Kurotsuchi just because he said so.

''Naruto, you have to understand the position you are in, the position you both are in'' Explained Yamato, being careful in his choice of words since he could sense that the boy was getting defensive. ''You are the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki, one of our village's most valuable assets. While she is the Tsuchikage's granddaughter and also the most likely to be next in line for the position. You must know by now the enmity between our nations and how delicate the peace we keep really is. By getting involved too much with her you could be risking an international incident''

Naruto glared defiantly at Yamato as he too crossed his arms. ''We are friends, I don't see why that would cause trouble. If we get along is not anyone else's business''

''I know you don't see it as a problem, but other people -Important people- won't share your sentiment'' Said Yamato. ''Even you being friends would be tough for the villages to swallow. If you were to become even more than friends things would certainly get ugly''

''More than friends? What are you talking about?'' Asked Naruto.

''You know, if you were to...like each other'' Said Yamato uncomfortably.

''Well, too late for that. We are already friends so of course we like each other'' Said Naruto with squinted eyes.

''I don't mean it like that, I mean LIKE each other'' Said Yamato but Naruto was still staring at him cluelessly. ''I mean like fall in love with each other that's what I'm talking about!'' Said Yamato in exasperation. This guy was dense, but in a sense he had to thank his blessings that it was the case since that was probably the only reason the two teenagers hadn't hooked up yet.

Naruto's eyes widened when it finally dawned on him what Yamato meant. ''What?! No way, that would never happen!'' Said the upset Naruto. They were friends and that was it. He liked Sakura, not Kurotsuchi! But he could see just a bit where Yamato was coming from, the Iwa girl was really amazing that he guessed it had to be easy to fall for her. She was extremely talented and loved by her people, she was gorgeous in his opinion despite her tomboyish appearance, and her rough exterior hid a caring good girl underneath. Still, that didn't mean he liked her! Right?...

''Anyway, even if that doesn't happen we can't risk something like that'' Yamato continued. ''Naruto, this is very serious. Depending on how you guys behave you could even start a war. Do you want that to happen? Do you want to see your friends die in a conflict that didn't need to happen? And what about Kurotsuchi, would you be at ease knowing that you would be killing her comrades and friends?''

That thought made Naruto forget his previous anger and he instead stared at the ground with severity. He definitely would not want a war. He could not think of anything worse that seeing his friends die because of a mistake he made, he could not live with himself if he hurt his precious people. And that was without taking into account the damage he would do to Kurotsuchi too. He had never stopped to think of the delicacy of this matters and the idea of a war sent shivers down his spine.

Yamato eyed the silent blond and was glad that his speech had seemingly struck a cord with Naruto. It was good that the boy realized the terrible consequences his actions could bring, it definitely should help in avoiding the worst-case scenario if Naruto was aware of how bad things could turn. ''That was all I wanted to tell you and I just want you to take what I said into consideration'' Said Yamato before he turned around and started to walk away. ''I'll be around here if you need anything''

Now that Naruto was left alone he continued to go over the issue in his mind. Did he really need to put a divide in his relationship with Kurotsuchi? Could he even do it? He didn't want to distance himself from his best friend, but now that he really thought about it maybe it was necessary? There would only be issues if they went further into their relationship which was extremely unlikely. He didn't like Kurotsuchi that way! And even if he did -which he didn't- there was no way in hell she would like him back, why would she? He was the pariah of the village; a Genin that barely graduated by sheer dumb luck that on top of it didn't have any innate talent; an orphan whose name held no value. The difference between both of them was night and day, there was no chance that she would ever see him in any romantic light. So he didn't see any need to put a hamper on their relationship when it was impossible it would ever become something more.

And with that in mind, he returned to the base of the waterfall. He wasn't in the mood to return to his training right now after what Yamato had told him and besides, his clones had been at it the whole day which was practically the same as if he had been with them. It couldn't be helped, he just wasn't happy right now after being informed that his relationship with Kurotsuchi was borderline disastrous. Was their friendship bad? Could it really cause such terrible things? He didn't want to think about it, she was one of his precious people, his best friend, he didn't want this to affect the way they acted around each other.

Naruto frowned, these kinds of political stuff weren't his forte, and if it could hinder one of his friendships then he really hated the issue altogether. He decided that he would not be able to focus on his training the way he was right now, so he made a hand seal to dispel all the clones and get their accumulated knowledge at the very least. But he had forgotten momentarily the mental strain doing so caused, and after his copies disappeared he felt his mind clouding with stress until it was overbearing that everything went dark.

By the time Naruto opened his eyes it was already nighttime, which was evident when the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was the bright stars in the night sky. He was laying on the ground with a rolled futon serving as a pillow and had a blanket over him. He groaned as he put a hand on his head, feeling a pulsating pain from the stress.

''About time you woke up, sleepy head''

Naruto sat up at the sound of the voice and glanced to his side to see Kurotsuchi laying next to him on a blanket and looking at him with a smirk as she supported her head with her hand.

''Kurotsuchi?'' Said Naruto with surprise. ''What happened?''

''You passed out. Again'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''That was a few hours ago, though. You really were down this time''

''I see'' Said Naruto. ''What about Kakashi-Sensei and the others?''

''He and that Yamato guy are over there, already sleeping'' Said Kurotsuchi pointing with her thumb behind her where Naruto could in fact see Kakashi and Yamato sleeping soundly in futons several yards away while Yugao sat on a log looking at the teenagers, obviously keeping watch over Kurotsuchi even now. ''As for Sakura and that faggot Sai they already left''

''Why didn't they go too?'' Asked Naruto. It wasn't like they had to stay just because he passed out. They could just as easily have dropped him in his apartment and be done with it.

''They Said that you would probably not move from here until you finished with the waterfall thing'' Said the girl with a shrug.

Naruto nodded in understanding and he smiled. Kakashi-Sensei knew him better than he thought, that had been exactly what he had intended to do.

''And how is your training going?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. ''Are your blackouts and headaches worth it at the very least?''

''Hard to say, my head is a mess right now. But I think that it is, I can definitely feel the progress that my clones did'' Said the blond. ''And what about you? What did Kakashi-Sensei give you to do?''

''Meh, I'm learning a fire Jutsu, the Gokakyu to be exact. Nothing special really'' Said Kurotsuchi with a wave of her hand.

 _''The same Jutsu as Sasuke?''_ Thought Naruto, remembering the similarities that Sakura pointed out of Team Seven's past to now with Kurotsuchi around, it really did feel like old times. ''Did you finish it?'' Asked Naruto.

''I'm close, I should have it done tomorrow or so'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Naruto couldn't believe it! She would have it down by tomorrow? But she just started. Just was he expected of his best friend. Suddenly, Naruto's thoughts stopped dead in their tracks. _''My best friend?!''_ He never realized until now that he had started thinking about Kurotsuchi as his best friend for a while now. But, wasn't Sasuke his best friend anymore then? It certainly felt as if he was replacing Sasuke with Kurotsuchi, both as a friend and as a member of Team Seven and that was an uncomfortable thought for the boy. Not to mention of what Yamato had told him earlier about the dangers of his friendship with the Iwa girl.

''I can't waste my time laying around'' Said Naruto, intending to stand up and return to the waterfall. He hoped maybe a bit more training could help him clear his mind from his doubts. But as he tried to stand he felt a sharp pain in his head as he groaned, putting a hand on his forehead. Kurotsuchi saw that and pulled him to the ground again by the back of his shirt.

''You idiot! You are in no condition to go back to train so soon after you just woke up!'' Berated the girl. ''Honestly, why do you have to rush everything all the time? You are going to end up hurting yourself''

''Sorry'' Said Naruto simply, not feeling good to even discuss right now.

Kurotsuchi noted the blond to be a bit gloomy but she just attributed it yo his tiredness. ''Just relax, will ya? at least for a little while''

Naruto took a deep breath and did as she told him. He put his head on the rolled up futon again as he stared at the sky and he could admit that just enjoying the gentle breeze of the night as he watched the stars was nice. ''You are right, this is relaxing''

''You would do well to do this more often, you are always so...umm...restless'' Said the girl, rolling a bit until she too was staring at the sky.

They just stared silently at the stars contently, Kurotsuchi just enjoying the well-deserved rest while Naruto tried to keep his mind off the previous issues.

''It's been a while since we last did this'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Look at the sky together, I mean. When we were in Suna was the last time''

''That's true'' Said Naruto. ''Did you do this a lot in Iwa?''

''Sometimes. I have always liked to look at the sky just to think, especially when I was feeling down or when I wanted to be alone'' Admitted the girl with a serious face.

Naruto could relate to that, he himself did it sometimes atop the Yondaime's head at the Hokage monument. Whenever he had a bad day or when people had been especially mean to him that day it helped him calm down. He guessed that she had to do it for similar reasons, well, at least for when she had a bad day as he doubted she had problems with Iwa citizens, but everyone had times when they felt bad or when their day wasn't going well.

''Looking at the sky, I wonder what everyone is doing back home'' Continued the girl. ''I would love to know what my dad, Akatsuchi, and my grandpa are doing right now'' Would they be thinking of her just like she was of them? And if they did were they worried for her safety? While she did hope that they cared she also didn't want them worrying to death even though she knew that at the very least her dad would be.

''I know that you'll see them again and sooner rather than later if I can do something about it. Also, I'm sure that they are thinking about you, I would be too in their place'' Said Naruto.

''Thank you'' Said the girl with gratitude and they contemplated the stars for a couple more minutes until she talked again. ''I wish I could have cherished more those times, I thought that they would never end''

''I bet that you did all kinds of cool stuff with your friends there'' Said Naruto, trying to make the girl think of the good times she had instead of dwelling on the fact that she couldn't see them.

''Well, to be honest, I mostly just hang with Akatsuchi and my family. Akatsuchi is always making gramps lose his temper but is always funny when it happens'' Said the girl with a small laugh. ''My grandpa always ends up regretting taking us all to dine every time Akatsuchi makes the bill's price skyrocket''

''That must suck for your grandpa'' Said Naruto with a smile. that sounded very similar to how Asuma-Sensei ends up broke when he pays for Team Ten's food with Chouji on the team.

Naruto appreciated these little moments between them, it really was nice to just kick back and relax with his friend. But Yamato's words came back to him and he felt his worries returning. He did not want to lose this, she was his best friend. And that was another thing, it also confused him that he had started thinking of her as his best friend instead of Sasuke but instead of keeping this to himself he wanted to ask for her opinion as she was concerned too.

''Kurotsuchi'' Said Naruto, catching the girl's attention as she moved her head to the side to stare directly at him.

''What is it?'' Said the girl.

Naruto paused for a moment, trying to find the words to say this to her without being too obvious to what he was talking about. ''What would you do if you wanted to do something but doing so would put other people at risk?''

''What do you mean by that?'' Inquired the girl, not understanding what Naruto was talking about.

Naruto decided to be just a bit more specific. ''What if you wanted to be with someone but doing so had the risk of putting others at in danger? People that you love?''

''I still don't understand'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I'm sorry I...I can't tell you directly what I mean'' Said Naruto.

Kurotsuchi tried to think about what the blond said. Wanting to be with someone but in doing so there was apparently some danger even to others? She would like to know what drove Naruto to ask such question. The only thing she could think about was that he wanted to be with Sakura or something and he was scared of the Kyuubi breaking loose and hurting everyone? It was a possibility since some Jinchuuriki avoided relationships altogether because of the fear of losing control when they were subjected to such an emotional bond. ''What you are asking is if you should still try to be with that someone despite the dangers of it or let them go for everyone's sakes?''

Naruto nodded, confirming what she guessed.

Kurotsuchi could see why this would worry Naruto, it was just like him to be thinking about the wellbeing of other people even if that meant to jeopardize his own happiness. Nevertheless, even if she didn't know the full details she was going to help in what she could. ''I think is very noble of you to think of the happiness of others before your own, but to be honest if I was in your place I would just continue to be with the person I wanted to be with''

That had been unexpected. Naruto was certain that she would tell him to cut ties since Shinobi were supposed to protect their village and peers above all else and she was always striving to be the image of the perfect Shinobi. ''B-But the risks...''

''To hell with them'' Interrupted Kurotsuchi, taking Naruto by surprise. ''Life is full of risks, we can't live in fear of acting just because things could go wrong. As Shinobi, we take risks and put our life on the line knowing that every day could be our last. The only thing we can do is to give our very best and if those dangers do come to bite us in the ass we face them and we beat them, simple as that''

Naruto stared in amazement at the face full of conviction of Kurotsuchi. That was true, he could not go around worrying about what might happen. The only thing he could do was to give it his all as she said and any hardship that presented itself he would beat them. He gave her heartfelt smile, thankful for her advice. ''You are right, I can't stop doing things just because I'm afraid of the consequences''

''Of course I'm right. I'm surprised I even need to tell all this to you, considering that you seem to be positiveness incarnate'' Said Kurotsuchi, also smiling at him.

Naruto felt silly for having even considered breaking off their relationship. Now he didn't even care if he considered her his best friend over Sasuke, she had certainly earned the title and he was replacing no one, Kurotsuchi's place in his life was different from Sasuke's and he was glad for it, glad to have her by his side.

''All right! Now I'll get it this time!'' Said Naruto, getting up from his spot in an instant.

''What are you doing?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, weirded out by the blond's sudden action.

''I'm feeling pretty good. I know I'll split the waterfall this time!'' Declared Naruto. At the moment, he felt like he could no anything. After that, he went over to the waterfall and started to climb it to reach the bridge.

Kurotsuchi was going to remind him of his previous headache but she refrained from doing so. He looked much better now so she decided to just watch and see.

Once Naruto was on the bridge and had resummoned his army of clones, he and his doppelgangers put their hands again on the water current, focusing and gathering their Chakra before they gave a mighty and released their energy, splitting the current as they kept the water from falling.

''I did it! Look Kurotsuchi, I did it!'' Yelled Naruto in joy as he kept the water in place.

Kurotsuchi crossed her arms as she smirked at the boy's progress. She knew that he would get it in time.

The ruckus had woken up Kakashi and Yamato, who were now sitting up on their futons staring at the display with Yugao standing beside them.

''It looks like she isn't the only one making rapid progress'' Said the ANBU.

Yamato nodded in agreement as Kakashi continued to watch silently.

 _''Making them train together was the correct choice, after all''_ Thought the Sharingan user. He knew that as long as they both continued to support each other like this they would keep growing. _''I know you would be proud, Sensei''_

 **Author's notes:**

 **First of all, I'm sorry for taking so long to update. I have no excuse I just wasn't feeling the inspiration most of the time. While I did get busy for a while as I went on a vacation and had exam season, those things took like three weeks tops and I've been gone for much longer so I really have no excuse but to say that I'm deeply sorry. Not only I wasn't feeling the inspiration in this chapter I also have been debating heavily with myself on certain plot points that are to come that I just can't seem to decide on how to go about them. I really should consider getting some of my readers to discuss them nd it might help me not get stuck for so long.**

 **Okay, back to the chapter, I know I might have made Yamato seem a bit annoying and I didn't mean to do it, but I do feel that with Yamato's serious and to-the-point attitude he has it would make sense for him to step in and try to do something about Naruto and Kurotsuchi's relationship.**

 **So, as always, I hope you enjoyed and please review or PM me if you got the time! See you soon!**


	26. Chapter 26: Matchmaking

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 26: Matchmaking

Kurotsuchi swung the sword in her hands, crashing against another blade with a loud noise, gritting her teeth as she tried to overpower her opponent.

''You'll have to do better than that'' Replied Yugao as she held her own sword firmly, pushing back Kurotsuchi's attack.

The Iwa Kunoichi clicked her tongue before she gave a mighty push, shoving Yugao back to gain a bit of distance and taking the chance to make a three-sixty turn and swing her blade again at the older woman's midsection.

Yugao skillfully parried the swing, using the momentum of the attack to thrust Kurotsuchi's swing to the side leaving the girl momentarily open, a chance that Yugao took by doing an upwards slash at Kurotsuchi.

The pink-eyed girl barely had time to reach as she did a quick back flip to avoid the ANBU's blade but Yugao pressed her assault, rushing to Kurotsuchi with a barrage of swings that the girl rapidly blocked left and right with the occasional upwards or downwards slash until she finally blocked a middle one that left them both in a standstill again as they both pushed against each other.

Instead of pushing Kurotsuchi away, Yugao closed the distance between them as they struggled, and when the girl was within arm's length the ANBU put all of her strength on one arm to hold the blade in place while she used her other arm to slip past the girl's defense and strike her chest with the elbow.

The blow made Kurotsuchi lose her breath for a moment which Yugao used to kick the girl back and make her lose her balance which caused her to fall to the floor on her rear. Now with Kurotsuchi down, Yugao gave a swift movement of her blade, striking Kurotsuchi's dulled blade that sent the weapon flying to the side, effectively disarming her.

Before Kurotsuchi could stand up again in an attempt to retrieve her weapon, Yugao had already the tip of her sword at her throat keeping her from doing any more moves.

''Looks like I win once again'' Declared the ANBU with a victorious smirk, still keeping the blade's tip just a few centimeters away from the younger girl's neck.

''Tch, fine. Just stop rubbing it on my face'' Said the annoyed Kurotsuchi as she pushed the blade to the side with one hand before she stood up shaking up the dust from her clothes as she did.

Just like Kurotsuchi had predicted, earlier in the day she finally finished learning the Gokakyu and after that, she got Yugao to help her in her Kenjutsu like she had promised. Since then, they had been practicing with dulled blades for hours now and Kurotsuchi had yet to win a single spar.

''Your skills are already pretty good, I don't think we'll have much trouble polishing your ability with the sword. You only need more experience and after I teach you a few blade techniques you should be fine'' Said Yugao. ''However, your main problem lies in that you rely solely on your speed and agility to strike swiftly and to avoid counterattacks in hopes to finish a battle quickly and in result, you are lacking in physical strength, so when you do face an opponent that can read your movements and block you accordingly you start to lose ground fast since you aren't strong enough to keep them from breaking your defense''

''So what do you recommend?'' Inquired Kurotsuchi sternly, still feeling the sting of her wounded pride.

''As I said, your skills are good enough, you just need more practice and a few Kenjutsu techniques and you are good to go. But my advice is that you train on the side to increase your physical strength''

''You have any suggestions on how to do that?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, crossing her arms over her chest.

''I do but I don't know if you'll like the idea'' Warned Yugao.

''Let's hear it out anyway'' Insisted the tomboy.

''I think that what you need is the help of a Taijutsu specialist, and the best one I know is Gai so...'' Explained Yugao.

''No, you can't mean...'' Said Kurotsuchi in panic. Train with Team Gai?! She didn't dislike the man and she got along well enough with Lee and Tenten, but the green duo's eccentricities along with the rumors of their legendary overly demanding training were sure to test not only her body's limits but also her patience. And that was without taking into account that Neji hated her guts.

Yugao nodded apologetically. ''Sorry, but I think that Gai is your best shot when it comes to that''

Kurotsuchi huffed in annoyance and resignation. Knowing Team Gai it was unlikely that they would say no to training her, they had already invited her to train before in fact, but that didn't mean that she was looking forward to it. _''I wonder if Naruto's training is going better than mine right now...''_

Meanwhile, at the other side of the training grounds, Naruto and a dozen clones were lined up against each other as they quickly did some hand seals before thrusting their palms toward some trees. ''Futon: Reppusho!(Wind Release: Gale Palm)'' Yelled the squad of blonds but they only managed to produce a weak gust of air that barely rustled the leaves of the trees.

Naruto gritted his teeth in frustration before he glanced at his mentors. ''This is not working, Kakashi-Sensei! I can't even move the damn branches much less blow away all the leaves''

Kakashi was reading a book a few meters behind Naruto with Yamato at his side. ''Keep trying, you are doing good. Just being able to produce an air current, even as weak as it is, is a huge accomplishment at this stage'' Said Kakashi calmly before flipping a page of his book.

''It doesn't feel like I'm doing any progress at all!'' Said Naruto. ''Besides, why am I learning this anyway? What would a simple burst of air do in a fight?'' They had told him that wind was one of the best elements for fighting but it sure didn't feel like it, he couldn't hurt an enemy with this Jutsu!

''Naruto, I have told you time and again to look underneath the underneath. Don't disregard a Jutsu just because at face value it doesn't look so strong'' Said Kakashi, still not looking away from his book.

''Kakashi-Senpai is correct. The Reppusho while not very damaging by itself can be used in a variety of ways which make it a very flexible Jutsu'' Said Yamato, deciding to help the copy ninja explain. ''You can use it alongside Shuriken to improve the velocity and piercing properties of the projectiles. It can be used to throw an enemy off-balance giving you a chance to counterattack while they recover their ground. Also, it can serve as a good collaboration Jutsu''

''For example, you can use it alongside Kurotsuchi's Gokakyu to boost her fire attack'' Said Kakashi which earned him a scolding look of Yamato to which Kakashi didn't pay any mind.

What Yamato wanted was for Naruto to get away from the girl and here Kakashi was encouraging him to keep working together with her. He really could not understand why his veteran comrade didn't take seriously the threat that the relationship of those two presented.

''Oh, I see!'' Said Naruto widening his eyes in realization. ''Well, when you put it like that it doesn't seem so useless''

''Of course not, I would not teach you useless stuff, Naruto'' Said Kakashi, still reading. He was glad that Naruto understood. He needed the boy to have a better feel for his Wind Affinity for the exercise he had planned, which was improving the Rasengan. But it was best that Naruto got used to his element first before he put him to do such a difficult task.

''Now what do you say if we take a break? You have been going at it for a few hours now, at the very least leave your clones to do your work for a while'' Suggested Kakashi, causing the doppelgangers to groan in frustration.

''Good idea, I'll do just that!'' Said Naruto, stepping away from the formation leaving his copies by themselves.

Naruto decided to spend his break to see how Kurotsuchi was doing and hopefully have the time to hang out. And with that, he made his way to the other side of the training grounds to find Kurotsuchi and Yugao in a Kenjutsu spar. ''Hey, Kurotsuchi!'' Naruto called out to her.

Said Iwa girl and the ANBU stopped their barrage of attacks to see the blond approaching them. ''Naruto, what's the matter?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

Naruto stopped in front of the two women and regarded them with a smile. ''Nothing, Kakashi-Sensei gave me a little bit of time to rest and I thought I would see if you were free too''

''I see'' Said Kurotsuchi with a pleasant grin. A break sounded like a good idea and hanging out with Naruto was always nice. She glanced to Yugao end looked at her in the eyes, silently asking her if she could take a break.

Yugao knew what the girl was asking of her and took a long sigh before answering. ''Fine. We'll continue later'' Said the ANBU, against her best judgment conceding Kurotsuchi the alone time she wanted with Naruto. She just knew she was going to regret all of this later.

''Thanks'' Replied Kurotsuchi.

Yugao waved off the comment. ''It's no big deal, this is your training anyway. We'll go at the pace you want. I'll be close by if you need anything'' Said Yugao before walking away.

Once they were left alone, Kurotsuchi turned to Naruto with the same amicable grin as before. ''So how is that Wind Jutsu coming?''

''Kakashi-Sensei says that I'm doing good but I'm not so sure. I can't make it do anything yet'' Said Naruto with a pout.

''Don't be so impatient, you have never learned any elemental Jutsu before so you won't get it down right away'' Said the tomboy.

''I know but I can't help but be frustrated'' Added Naruto. ''And what about you? Have you learned more cool sword moves yet?''

''I'm on it, I think I'm getting the hang of them slowly'' Said Kurotsuchi.

While the two teenagers continued their conversation, they were unaware of two other individuals watching them from the nearby forest.

''Finally they came together. I was starting to wonder how long we would have to wait'' Said Ino as she peeked from behind a tree. ''Anyway, the important thing is that we have them right where we want them. Are you ready, Sai-Kun?''

''I am'' Said Said as he too peeked at Naruto and Kurotsuchi from behind the same tree as Ino but from the other side. Nevertheless, he was more concerned about how Ino had suddenly started to call him 'Sai-Kun' and she almost purred the term all the while she blinked slowly at him when she did so. He didn't know if that was the way girls acted friendly but for some reason it made him feel slightly uncomfortable. Well, no matter, he was here with her on a mission and with a plan and he was going to execute it to the best of his ability like he always did on a mission. ''I'm ready, Ino-San''

''Just remember the plan, Sai-Kun'' Purred Ino, shooting a wink at Sai which caused him to shiver. ''Okay, let's go''

With their plan in mind, both of them stood out from their hiding places behind the tree and approached Kurotsuchi and Naruto. ''Hey guys, how's it going?!'' Said Ino with a wave of her hand.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi stopped their conversation to look in confusion at the newcomers walking towards them from the forest.

''Ino? And Sai, too?'' Asked Naruto. ''What are you guys doing here?''

''And what were you doing in there?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''We were just taking a nice stroll in the forest when we saw you guys and decided to say hello'' Explained Ino before turning to Sai. ''Isn't that right, Sai-Kun?''

''Yes'' Said Sai plainly.

''I didn't know you were friends'' Commented Naruto. Sai was socially clueless and an introvert that barely had any friends and Ino was his polar opposite, it was unexpected to see them getting along.

 _''A stroll through the forest?''_ Thought Kurotsuchi with suspicion. It was a weird thing to be doing around in the training grounds, the could just as easily had gone to a park or something, unless...Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in shock and disgust, had they been doing dirty things and came here to have some privacy? She knew that Ino was pretty bold and all but she expected her to have better standards than the faggot.

''We met not too long ago but I'll tell you guys about that later'' Said Ino. ''Anyway, what are you guys doing here?''

''Training...'' Said Kurotsuchi. They were on training grounds what else would they be doing?

''Training, uh?'' Said Ino. Of course she had already known about that, she and Sai had spent a good while spying on them after all. ''What have you learned?''

''I'm learning to use my Elemental Nature!'' boasted Naruto.

''Ditto, but I'm also expanding the other skills I have'' Said Kurotsuchi, not elaborating more.

''I see'' Said Ino before she glanced at Sai and gently nudged him in the ribs.

Sai recognized that as his signal to use his lines. ''But haven't you practiced your Taijutsu?''

''Taijutsu? No, why do you ask?'' Said Naruto.

''I just thought it would be an important area to improve upon'' Said Sai. ''You especially would benefit from that, Naruto''

''What's that supposed to mean?'' Said an annoyed Naruto.

''D-Don't take it the wrong way!'' Said Ino with her hands up in appeasement. ''I'm sure that Sai-Kun didn't mean it like that. He was just saying that it is something that everyone can benefit from, he didn't mean any offense'' Damn it, Sai! He could have said that with more tact, they didn't come here to start a fight, that would just make things more difficult.

''Right, I'm sorry'' Sai apologized as he scratched the back of his head.

''It's fine I guess'' Said Naruto, dropping the issue. he already knew how dumb Sai was when it came to social interaction so he would cut him some slack.

''If you want I can help you with that part of your training'' Said Sai. ''Let's spar. the only way to improve is through action''

''Spar? Right now?'' Said Naruto.

''Why not? You were already training, right? Also, I'm pretty good in Taijutsu myself, I can teach you a few things'' Suggested Sai.

Naruto seemed to think it over for a moment before he smiled. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge and Sai was actually trying to be kind and help him, how could he say no? ''All right, I'll take you on!''

''Wait a minute, Sai-Kun! You were supposed to be on a walk with me!'' Said Ino, feigning anger. It was all part of the plan. ''You can't just ditch a girl like that!''

''C'mon, Ino! It will be a quick spar!'' Said Naruto. He didn't want to lose his sparring partner after he had been getting fired up already.

Sai nodded, apparently agreeing with Naruto. ''As Naruto-Kun says, this won't take long I just-''

''Absolutely not! I'm not letting you bail on me!'' Said Ino, keeping her charade before she put on a look of realization. ''Wait! I have a better idea! Kurotsuchi-San, why don't you spar with Naruto on Sai's place?''

''Me?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''Why not? That way you two can keep working together and me and Sai-Kun will be on our way and won't bother you anymore'' Said Ino eagerly.

''Well, I don't mind'' Said Naruto. He didn't see any problem with it, as long as he got to practice his Taijutsu it was all good to him, and if he did it with his best friend even better. ''What do you say, Kurotsuchi?''

Kurotsuchi bit her lip in thought, she didn't mind actually. Also, Yugao had already recommended to her to improve her physical skills, and if Naruto learned a thing or two from this then it was good for both. ''All right''

''Really?'' Asked Naruto. He was looking forward to this, honestly.

''Sure, it will be fun'' Replied the pink-eyed girl with a smirk.

''Great!'' Said Ino. ''All set, then! Sai-Kun and I will leave you guys alone so you can practice in peace. Come Sai-Kun, we should be on our way'' Said Ino as she walked off with a triumphant grin.

''I'm coming'' Said Sai, following Ino and leaving Naruto and Kurotsuchi by themselves.

With Ino and Sai gone, Naruto turned to Kurotsuchi. ''So, you want to do this right now or...?'' Asked Naruto, leaving the question hanging to let Kurotsuchi decide.

''Right now it's fine'' Said Kurotsuchi, getting herself into a combat position. ''This is a good time as any''

Naruto smiled at her, not rejecting the idea before he too got into a fighting stance. ''So, what are the rules?''

''Taijutsu only. No Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, or ninja weapons'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Agreed?''

''Yeah'' Responded Naruto.

''Are you sure you are okay with no using your precious Kage Bunshin?'' Said Kurotsuchi slyly, not resisting making fun of Naruto even if it was in good fun.

''I'll show you I don't need clones all the time'' Said Naruto. ''Also, you can't use your sword or your Doton Jutsu so we are even''

''We'll see'' Responded Kurotsuchi, feeling confident in this.

They both stood facing each other, fists up and legs apart, ready to start at a moment's notice as they waited for any movement of their opponent.

Yugao, who had been watching on from the distance, found it curious that they seemed to be preparing for a spar, but since it appeared that it was just training, she just resorted to watching calmly just in case any of them threw a blow that got out of hand.

Naruto was the one to begin, he rapidly rushed towards Kurotsuchi, throwing two punches at the girl which Kurotsuchi easily ducked and dodged respectively.

Now that that their distance had been closed as Naruto was still upon her, he took the chance to throw a kick at her torso. Kurotsuchi bent her body backward, letting the kick fly over her and she used her position to do a reverse cartwheel causing her foot to collide with Naruto's chin.

Naruto stumbled a bit at the blow as he held his chin, leaving an opening for Kurotsuchi to continue her assault. Naruto saw her approaching in time and he threw another punch to stop her advance. However, Kurotsuchi simply turned on her heel letting his punch fly past her over her shoulder as she positioned her back against Naruto's chest, grabbing his arm, using her foot to kick the boy's leg, and using the loss of balance of Naruto to pull him by the arm and throw him over her body.

Naruto's back hit the ground hard as he grunted in pain, leaving him laying on the ground staring at the grinning face of Kurotsuchi looking down at him.

''Are you all right? I thought you were gonna show me something?'' Said Kurotsuchi with amusement.

''That was a lucky shot, I was caught by surprise'' Said Naruto.

''Uh hu'' Said Kurotsuchi before she extended her hand to him. ''Here, let me help you''

''Thanks'' Said Naruto as he took her hand and stood up. ''I want a rematch''

''As you wish. Just make sure I don't catch you by surprise again'' Said Kurotsuchi with a smirk, taking a jab at his previous excuse.

Naruto's response was simply getting into a combat stance again and waited for her to do the same.

Kurotsuchi shrugged and mimicked his actions, all with a confident grin on her face.

As they started their sparring session again, they didn't realize that Sai and Ino resumed spying on them from the other side of the training grounds.

''Kurotsuchi-San's fighting style is pretty good. However, Naruto-Kun's needs a bit more polish'' Commented Sai as he held his chin, analyzing their battle in deep focus.

''Yeah yeah, never mind that'' Said Ino with a dismissive wave. ''We aren't doing this to study how they fight, remember?''

Sai glanced at her before nodding. He couldn't help it, this was more along the lines of his interests than playing 'matchmaker' as Ino called it. But just as she said, it was time to continue with their plan. Then, he pulled out a scroll, opened it, and made a single hand seal. ''Ninpo: Choju Giga(Ninja Art: Super Beast Imitating Drawing)'' With that, two small ink snakes came to life from the scroll as they slithered down onto the ground, the grass making it almost impossible to see such little creatures as they made their way to the two teenagers fighting.

Kurotsuchi skillfully dodged all the blows that Naruto threw at her no matter how many he attempted to follow his last attack with, making the blond get increasingly frustrated with this.

Naruto decided to try and rush her in an attempt to overwhelm her, but as he charged at her he didn't notice a small black snake rolling itself into his ankle, making him lose his footing as he tripped towards Kurotsuchi.

While the pink-eyed girl did manage to see in time Naruto stumbling towards her she could not get out of the way as another snake held her own foot in place. Kurotsuchi didn't have much time to wonder what the hell was going on when Naruto crashed into her, sending both of them to the ground.

Naruto groaned as he lifted his head before glancing down and widening his eyes in shock at seeing Kurotsuchi's equally bewildered face staring back at him.

Their breaths died in their throats as their noses were almost touching. Neither one of them did anything for several seconds as their surprise left them immobile.

Kurotsuchi's face heated up, feeling the warmth of Naruto's body pressing against her as he laid on her made her realize the intimate position they both were in.

They had been still for a while now until Naruto finally snapped out of his trance and he hastily removed himself from atop her. ''K-Kurotsuchi, I-I am so sorry! I didn't mean to, I mean...'' Said Naruto trying to explain himself as he sat away from her.

''D-Don't worry, I know it wasn't your fault'' Said Kurotsuchi as she sat up, though she was still flustered and avoided looking Naruto's way.

Naruto was mortified. It hadn't been his intention to fall over her! And much less in such a way. However, he couldn't deny that it had felt...nice? Anyway, he didn't have time to think about it too much. After what he had done he just hoped that things would not be awkward after this.

Kurotsuchi was still avoiding looking at Naruto, not out of anger but out of nervousness. She brought a hand to her chest, trying to calm the rapid beating of her heart. Why was she reacting like this? It had been a simple mistake and that was that. there was no need to overreact, but then why did she feel this strange feeling? It was weird, it felt like a mixture of tension but also of pleasure, of longing, but longing for what?. Wait, did that mean she had enjoyed that? Maybe she was overthinking this too much. This reaction had to be because she wasn't used to such close contact with people.

As that happened, Ino looked on at the scene with Sai at her side. She had her hands clasped together and a disappointed face marred her features. What had happened?! The setup had been perfect, why didn't they kiss or something?! She knew they had yearned for something more, the sexual tension could be felt all the way over there and it almost hurt.

Sai noticed the look on Ino's face and wondered what her problem was. ''Are you all right, Ino-San?''

''We'll need to keep going. That one stunt wasn't enough'' Declared Ino.

Sai didn't know what made Ino said that. the attempt had looked good to him. The situation obviously had an effect on them so that had to account for something.

Back with Naruto and Kurotsuchi, they were both still flustered at the events that had just transpired and were still sitting down avoiding looking at each other in the eye.

Kurotsuchi attempted to take the first step out of this uncomfortable situation and attempted to stand. ''You want to try again sparring again or- Ouch!'' She sat back down again when she felt a sudden pain on her back. In her shock, she didn't even realize that she had hurt herself when she fell. It didn't feel too bad, it was probably just a scratch but the unexpected soreness had taken her by surprise.

''Are you okay, Kurotsuchi?!'' Asked Naruto in worry when he saw her reaction and went over to her to inspect her back.

However, Kurotsuchi stopped Naruto, grabbing him by the shoulder when he got close to check on her. ''It's okay, I'm fine. So don't-'' Her words halted when they locked eyes for a brief moment, remembering what just happened moments ago before, both of them looked away again sheepishly and sat again without another word.

Ino wasn't having any more of that, though. If they weren't going to do anything more but sit like morons then she would do something about it. But for her misfortune she also saw Yugao approaching from the distance, she probably also saw the whole thing and decided to check what was going on herself. But Ino highly doubted that the ANBU was going to help her cause so she had to do something to keep her from interfering.

''Damn it. Sai-Kun, I'll need you to distract miss party pooper over there'' Said Ino as she pointed at the still approaching Yugao.

''How do I do that?'' Asked Sai.

''I don't know. Think of something'' Said Ino before she pushed Sai forward. ''Just go!''

The ROOT member complied and rapidly made his way to Yugao before she could interfere.

Yugao didn't know what was going on but when she saw Naruto fall on top of Kurotsuchi was when she decided to check that everything was fine, even more when they began acting strangely. But before she could get any closer to the two teenagers, Sai appeared before her with an uncertain expression on his face.

''Sai? What are you doing here?'' Asked Yugao.

''I always come here to check on Naruto-Kun and Kurotsuchi-San's training'' Said Sai.

''I know that, but don't think I haven't seen you and that Yamanaka girl prowling around. What are you guys plotting?'' Inquired Yugao with suspicion as she crossed her arms.

''We aren't plotting anything. Ino-San is just a friend that I like to spend time with'' Said Sai.

''Whatever you say. Anyway, I have things to do. See you around, kid'' Said Yugao, attempting to leave Sai behind and continue on her way only for said young man to block her path again.

''Now what?'' Said Yugao.

''Actually, I wanted to talk to you, Yugao-San'' Said Sai, trying to find more excuses to stall for as long as he could.

Yugao raised an eyebrow. She and Sai weren't even friends, heck not too long ago she didn't even like him. ''Okay. What did you want to tell me?''

''I wanted to apologize for my past actions. I know that I didn't make the best first impression and I wanted to make amends'' Said Sai.

Yugao was glad to see that Sai at least was trying to better himself. Still, she would rather have him do that at another time when she wasn't busy. ''I appreciate the thought and I admit you aren't as bad as I thought. But right now I'm in the middle of something. I'll see you later'' Said Yugao, once again walking away from the pale-skinned boy.

Sai stared at Yugao go with disappointment evident on his face. Well, he had tried his best. He and Ino would simply have to think of another thing. ''See you later, bimbo''

In an instant, Yugao stopped dead in her tracks which made Sai stare at her curiously. Then, the ANBU slowly turned around to look at Sai with a cold look on her eyes. ''Bimbo?''

Sai blinked in confusion, he had just tried to be amicable. ''What? I told you I wanted to start over and give you a nickname as a friend''

''And bimbo is the best you could think of?!'' Said Yugao aggravated.

''The book I read said that nicknames are usually picked from a person's physical characteristics'' Explained Sai.

''Then why bimbo?!'' Asked Yugao, getting more agitated by the second.

''You know, because of your excessive makeup'' Said Sai.

Yugao's eyed widened in horror. Did she really use too much makeup?!

''And because of your 'assets' too'' Continued Sai.

Yugao couldn't help staring at her chest before she went back to stare coldly at Sai after that remark. ''Excuse me?'' Muttered the ANBU with a deadly tone.

Sai seemed oblivious to her increased annoyance. ''And also because of your-'' Sai was interrupted when a Kunai went flying past his face making a shallow cut on his cheek. It was then when Sai realized he had made a mistake on his social interactions. Again.

''I'll give you a ten-second head start'' Said Yugao.

''Wait a minute, Yugao-San. You misunderstand...'' Said Sai, trying to explain himself.

''One'' Said Yugao, uncaring for what he had to say.

''I was just trying to be friendly...''

''Two'' Said Yugao simply in response. ''I would start running if I were you. Five''

Sai knew that it was useless trying to explain himself further as this point, so he just took the woman's advice and turned tail from there with Yugao following after him soon after.

''You better hope I don't catch up to you, brat!'' Yelled Yugao as the both of them left the training grounds with the ANBU in hot pursuit of the ROOT member.

Ino sighed as she saw them leave. She didn't know what Sai had said to her, it was too far away to make up what they had talked about, but it was clear that he had made her angry. Oh well, that would buy her some time. Then, she sprinted over to where Naruto and Kurotsuchi were sitting. ''Hey guys, what's wrong? What are you doing on the floor?'' Said Ino with a wave as she ran to them.

That caused both Naruto and Kurotsuchi to direct their attention to her.

''Ino, do you know what's up with Sai and Yugao?'' Said Naruto after having just witnessed the ANBU giving chase to the pale boy.

''Don't mind them, it's nothing'' Said Ino. ''More importantly, what are you guys doing sitting there?''

''We tripped'' Said Kurotschi simply.

''And are you guys okay?'' Asked Ino remembering how Naruto had attempted to check on Kurotsuchi before.

''I hit my back, but I'm fine. It was just a scratch'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Even so, let me see. It might get infected'' Said the Yamanaka.

''I told you, I'm fine. You don't need to concern yourself with it'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Nonsense! It really is no problem'' Insisted Ino as she knelt down behind the tomboy.

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. It really wasn't a big deal but if Ino wanted so badly to help then so be it.

Seeing that Kurotsuchi wasn't objecting anymore, Ino took that as a sign to continue. She gently lifted the back of Kurotsuchi's shirt, being mindful to just lift the back, with Naruto present and all, and she could indeed see a small cut in the small of Kurotsuchi's back. It wasn't serious or anything, in fact, it was just a few centimeters long and it was so superficial that it didn't even bled. Nonetheless, she was still determined to use this chance to get Naruto and Kurotsuchi closer and she was going to do her best.

''It is a small cut'' Conceded Ino. ''We should still treat it, though. I have some ointment in my pouch, we should apply some to the wound''

''Fine, if you wish. But I would barely call it a wound'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Now that it was settled, Ino stood up and proceeded to pull out a small round container before she offered it to Naruto. ''Here you go''

''What?!'' Said Naruto and Kurotsuchi at the same time.

''Wait a minute, I thought that you were going to apply it!'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''That's right! Why should I do it?! You do it'' Said Naruto.

''I can't, I have to get going. I need to make sure that your ANBU friend doesn't kill Sai-Kun'' Said Ino hastily as she prepared to leave. ''Farewell, guys! See you another time!'' And before either Naruto or Kurotsuchi could complain, Ino was gone.

Naruto stared at the ointment in his hands, wondering what he should do. He glanced over at Kurotsuchi as if silently asking if it was okay for him to apply it instead.

Kurotsuchi was unsure of what to do. While the action itself wasn't anything special, the fact that the one involved was Naruto made her fidgety. But they weren't doing anything wrong. It was just rubbing a little bit of ointment and that was it. ''Go ahead, I don't mind. That is if you want'' Said Kurotsuchi finally.

''Sure'' Said Naruto. He didn't have a problem per se, but for some reason he felt very nervous about doing it. But if Kurotsuchi was okay with it then it shouldn't be a problem. He positioned himself behind Kurotsuchi before he realized that he needed to lift her shirt, even if just the back side. ''May I?'' Asked Naruto timidly, very odd coming from the usually extroverted blond.

With her nerves, Kurotsuchi didn't immediately catch on what Naruto was asking but when she did she froze up, going as rigid as a plank of wood. She had to remind herself that this was just a friend treating a wound of another friend. ''You may'' Said Kurotsuchi, going red in the face once again.

Now that he had her approval, Naruto gulped hard before he brought his hand to the back end of Kurotsuchi's shirt and delicately lifted it up carefully to expose just the back of the girl and he continued until it revealed the small of the back where the wound was. He noted that it wasn't big, which was a relief. Then he used his ointment-coated fingers to gently brush the scratch, which caused Kurotsuchi to jerk up with a shiver. ''Sorry, did that hurt?''

''J-Just a little bit, it just took me by surprise. you can continue'' Said Kurotsuchi. In reality, the pain could barely be felt. It was Naruto's touch that caused that reaction in her but she would rather the boy not know.

Naruto nodded as he continued to rub the ointment along the length of the wound while Kurotsuchi tried to keep herself from shivering any more at the contact. Naruto for his part noticed how soft and smooth Kurotsuchi's skin felt. Also, he could not spot any blemishes on the skin of her back save for a few scars that she had no doubt sustained throughout her career along with the well-toned muscles he could see even from just her back.

''Is everything all right?'' Asked Kurotsuchi which made Naruto snap out of his trance. He had been too focused on admiring her that he hadn't noticed when he stopped applying the ointment.

''Yeah, I'm finished'' Said Naruto, retracting his hand off her back.

Kurotsuchi nodded as she pulled her shirt back down again.

If things had been awkward before now they were even more so. Just this little bit of contact between them had been enough to stir a feeling within them that they could not identify and left them equally confused and anxious.

''You know, I think I'll see you later. I remembered I had to do something'' Said Kurotsuchi suddenly, standing up. ''Good luck on your training'' Finished the girl as she walked away.

''Thanks. I'll see you later'' Replied Naruto as he watched her go. Well, that had been awkward. He didn't know what had happened or why things had been as uncomfortable like that for no reason. He knew that Kurotsuchi probably left because she felt the need to let things cool down and Naruto could agree with that, but what he didn't know ehat was that needed to cool down. They weren't angry or anything but they both realized that they had to let things deflate or something was going to happen and they had both been scared to find out.

Kurotsuchi needed to get away from Naruto for a while. She had to. She didn't know what had happened or why she reacted the way she did, but it made her wary, anything that she did not understand made her wary. She supposed -or would rather think, anyway- that whatever...that had been it was a one-time thing and they just needed some time apart to clear their head since just being around each other seemed to make everything worse with each passing minute.

That's why Kurotsuchi had walked all the way across Konoha to the other side of the village and into another training grounds but this time she was in search of a particular team. She hadn't planned on coming looking for them so soon but she needed to get her mind away from Naruto for the time being so this was as good time as any.

The training ground was very reminiscent of the other she used with Naruto, save for the giant waterfall they made that is, and she was quick to spot the group of people she had come looking for: Team Gai.

When she found them, Tenten had been throwing ninja tools at some posts with targets painted on them, Neji had been meditating sitting cross-legged at the base of a tree, and Lee and Gai had been doing pushups at a ridiculously fast pace. It didn't take long for them to spot her as she approached them.

''Hey, it's Kurotsuchi-San!'' Exclaimed Lee as he got on his feet with his Sensei grinning once he saw the girl too.

''If it isn't young Kurotsuchi! Good to see you again, miss!'' Said Gai with a gleaming smile.

Tenten too had stopped doing her target practice to greet the girl. ''It's been a while since we last saw you. I hope you have been doing fine, girl'' Said Tenten amicably.

Neji didn't welcome her and just stayed under his tree with a scowl on his face for having been interrupted and by Kurotsuchi nonetheless.

''Hey'' Said Kurotsuchi, finding it herself to return their smiles. Team Gai had been friendly to her ever since they met, save for Neji who hated her, and she didn't have any hard feelings towards them for giving her the benefit of the doubt. And even if spending large amounts of time around Gai and Lee was a bit tiring she could tolerate it. ''It's true, I haven't seen you guys in a while. What have you been up to?''

''I could ask you the same thing'' Said Tenten. ''We mostly just train and do missions, you know, the usual''

''As Tenten says, we have been keeping our flames of youth strong and bright!'' Said Lee with a thumbs up. ''We rarely do anything else so it is nice to see you again, Kurotsuchi-San''

''And speaking of which, what brings you young Kurotsuchi here today?'' Asked Gai. ''Have you perhaps accepted our offer to train?''

''Yes, I have'' Said Kurotsuchi which caused the members of Team Gai to stare at her in shock and amazement, even Neji looked at her perplexed.

That was something that not even Gai had expected. Despite his constant offers of training that he gave other people no one ever really took it for some reason, so it came as a surprise that someone finally came to train with his team.

''Wonderful! You don't know how happy this makes me, Young Kurotsuchi!'' Exclaimed Gai with tears in his eyes, raising his fist in a dramatic pose. ''You are the first person outside of my team to willingly come to me for training!''

''I'm honored...'' Said Kurotsuchi with a nervous smile. She hoped that this had been a good idea. If no one ever came to Gai for training there had to be a good reason for that. Also, the look of pity that Tenten was shooting her didn't help to comfort her.

''But if I may ask, what is it that you want to improve on? Just so I know the kind of training to give you'' Said Gai excitedly.

''I want to improve my physical strength and I heard that you were one of the best when it came to physical prowess'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Indeed! I'm not Konoha's best Taijutsu specialist for nothing'' Said Gai as he searched one of the pockets on his jacket. ''If it is gaining more physical strength I know just the stuff you need''

Kurotsuchi was starting to wonder what Gai had in mind when he presented to her a small bracelet that seemed to have what appeared to be little rectangular weights attached to it.

''If you use these while you train they will help your muscles develop faster'' Said Gai. ''What do you say?''

''Why do you carry those around?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''Just in case for occasions like these. But that is not important. Why don't you try them on?'' Suggested the Taijutsu master as he pulled more weighted bracelets and anklets from his flak jacket.

''Right now?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. She hadn't expected to be trained right away.

''Well, of course! The sooner we start the better!'' Said Gai.

Kurotsuchi shrugged before grabbing the weights from Gai's hands. It wasn't like she had anything to do so there really was no reason to not train. She noted that the weight did feel heavy indeed, which was good, it meant that they would most likely be effective. She adjusted the bracers and anklets and moved her limbs to test how much they limited her movement. It was a bit difficult but it was still manageable.

''They fit you well!'' Boasted Gai before making a hand seal. ''Then we can start properly. I'll activate the seals on them''

 _'Wait, what?'_ Kurotsuchi yelped in surprise as the sudden increase in weight lurched her onto the floor face down.

The violent stumble of the girl caused the members of Team Gai -Save for Neji, who just smiled contently at the girl's misfortune- to panic as they were by her side in an instant.

''Kurotsuchi-San!'' Yelled Tenten and Lee in unison as the weapons user shook the fell girl's shoulder.

''Are you okay?!'' Asked the worried Gai.

Slowly, Kurotsuchi moved her arms to support herself as she lifted herself up. She spat a bit of the dirt in her mouth before turning to glare at Gai. ''What the fuck?! Are you trying to kill me?!''

''I'm sorry, I should have told you they had weight seals on them'' Said Gai sheepishly. ''Anyway, if you are fine, let's continue with the training''

Kurotsuchi stood up, her movements were clumsy as she could barely move her limbs and when she finally stood up she could barely keep standing. ''Training like this? What do you expect me to do?!''

''Don't worry, we'll start with light exercise before getting into the tougher stuff'' Said Gai. ''Now, give me one hundred laps around the training grounds!''

Kurotsuchi stared at Gai in disbelief. This was light exercise?!

''And to keep you motivated I'll have Tenten here throw Kunai at you if you slow down'' Said Gai to the dismay of Kurotsuchi.

''I'm sorry about this, Kurotsuchi-San'' Said Tenten with an apologetic look.

Kurotsuchi was horrified. What had she gotten herself into?

''Everyone ready? Start!'' Declared Gai loudly.

''Wait! I wasn't re-'' Kurotsuchi was interrupted as she barely avoided a Kunai aimed at her. Realizing that she should better get a move on or she would be turned into a pincushion. With great effort, the girl somehow managed a to sprint, albeit at a very clumsy and awkward pace and not to mention much slower than her usual speed. She gasped desperately as Kunai and Shuriken impacted the ground she just passed. As she did that, Lee caught up to Kurotsuchi and started running alongside her, but he was upside down using his hands to run instead of his feet.

''Come on, Kurotsuchi-San. I know you can do it, is not as hard once you get used to it'' Said Lee as he continued to sprint at her side using his arms.

Kurotsuchi was too tired already and out of breath to give any rebuttal to Lee so she saved her energy and kept running as avoiding the sharp objects was more important than a snarky comment. she was starting to see why everyone avoided training with Gai like the plague.

Meanwhile, Neji stood sitting below the same tree that Kurotsuchi had found him since she arrived. He was looking at the girl's struggles with a smirk on his face. This wasn't going to be as bad as he had thought.

 **Author's note:**

 **Here it is, guys! I apologize since this chapter isn't as long as usual, but I had to split it into two.**

 **Good news is that I think (emphasis on 'think') that I finally decided how I'm going to go about the story!**

 **Don't get me wrong, is not like I hadn't planned how the story was going to be because I had planned most of it since the beginning, like 85% of it more or less. But I hadn't decided fully on how to structure it, and what I mean by that is that come conflicts could happen this way or that way, or they could happen early and how they would affect the story. But I think I finally found a way to connect everything I had planned that's what I'm trying to say and I hope this means I won't get writer's block as often if I know what I'm supposed to be aiming for.**

 **Well, that's all for now. Please review or PM me if you have the chance and I'll see you guys soon!**


	27. Chapter 27: Preparations

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 27: Preparations

-Streets of Konohagakure-

Naruto eyed Kurotsuchi as she yawned while they walked down the street. She had been tired like this lately ever since she started training with Gai and his team three weeks ago. He was worried that she was over stressing herself, even more so now that they didn't see each other as much as hey used to and Naruto couldn't check on her that often. Yeah, they still saw each other every morning on the way to the training grounds but they usually trained separated as they worked on their own skills and then she always left for the second half of the day to go train with Team Gai. So all in all, they had been so busy with their respective training that they haven't hung out that much.

Also, there was also a certain air of discomfort between them that Naruto could not explain. And 'discomfort' wasn't exactly right either but Naruto could not think of another name for this odd feeling that neither of them could identify nor they acknowledged but they could tell it was there even if they tried to ignore it.

''Are ou okay? You look off'' Inquired Naruto.

''Yeah, yeah. I'm just tired that's all'' Said Kurotsuchi as she massaged her eyelids. ''Gai's training is ridiculous. Three weeks and I'm still not used to the regime he puts me through. I don't know how Tenten puts up with this''

''I know what you mean. Bushy brow-Sensei can be a little too much'' Said Naruto, already expecting the girl to say something like that. Every morning she complained to him about the intense exercises that Gai makes her do the day before, so this was starting to become part of their routine. ''But it'll be worth it in the end. You'll see'' Said Naruto. Team Gai was one of the strongest teams he knew, so he was certain that if someone could make Kurotsucchi stronger it would be them.

''I sure hope so, my body definitely feels the pain'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''What about you, Naruto? How is your training coming along? Did you finish that one-handed Rasengan yet?''

''You bet!'' Declared the blond before extending his palm and a bright ball of Chakra manifested itself on his hand. After he had finished learning the Reppusho Kakashi had told him that before they went to the next step of their training he needed Naruto to completely master the Rasengan and that included learning to make one without clone assistance. ''Kakashi-Sensei was very adamant about me learning to make it one-handed. I told him it was stupid since as long as I could make it it wasn't a big deal but he wouldn't have it. He said that today we will mix it with my Chakra Nature or something like that. He said that it will be hard and needed me to have the Rasengan mastered in its entirety''

''I see. It seems we both have our work cut out for us'' Said Kurotsuchi with a smile.

''It looks that way, but you'll see, I will surpass you before you know it!'' Replied Naruto with a smirk.

''Oh, really? we'll see about that, won't we?'' Said Kurotsuchi, still smiling.

''Excuse me, you two''

At being called, both Naruto and Kurotsuchi turned to look at a couple that had been walking in the opposite direction and had stopped when they crossed paths.

''I'm sorry to bother you youngsters, but I was wondering if you could help a gal out'' Said the woman. She was plain looking, with straight brown hair and brown eyes, dressed casually; she was a civilian by the look of things. Behind her was standing a taller man with dark hair and brown eyes, holding a camera on a wood tripod, he also appeared to be a simple civilian.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi glanced at each other momentarily in confusion before regarding the two adults again.

''What is it, lady? Do you need help?'' Asked Naruto, ever so ready to help people as always.

''You see, I and my partner here are photographers and we need some help with our newest project'' Said the woman at the same time as the man raised his free hand in greeting. ''We need two models for out next pictures but we haven't found other people willing to help us yet! We are running out of time and we really need this photos taken soon, so please will you help us?!'' Pleaded the woman, tears at the corner of her eyes in a dramatic fashion.

Kurotsuchi raised her eyebrow in suspicion. For the last weeks, she and Naruto have been encountering people every day that needed their help for one reason or another. She would not pay any mind to it except that it had been happening almost every day. Just yesterday they helped a couple with designing clothes for grooms and brides; they had made Naruto and Kurotsuchi dress up as if they had been marrying to see if the clothes looked fine. And the other day a man and a woman had wanted them to enter their dancing classes and make her and Naruto dance together but Kurotsuchi had promptly refused much to Naruto's discomfort as he wasn't one to turn people down. The point was that things like these were starting to happen way too frequently to be normal. She would rather not be part of whatever these people wanted just to be safe, but Naruto on the other hand...

''Of course we'll help! We could not leave someone that needed our aid just like that. Right, Kurotsuchi?'' Said Naruto with a warm smile.

Kurotsuchi wanted so badly to tell these strangers to piss off, but the expectant look that Naruto was giving her make her reconsider. She wasn't fond of disappointing Naruto, so she decided to put up with this for his sake. ''Fine, just make it quick, will ya? We are kinda in a hurry'' Said the tomboy with a sigh.

The woman clapped her hands together in joy. ''Wonderful! I knew I could count on two reliable Shinobi like yourselves!''

''So, what do we do?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with impatience.

''Just go and stand over there'' Said the woman, pointing at the wall in front of her before she turned to look at her male companion. ''You know what to do''

The man nodded at her command and proceeded to set the tripod down and peered through the lens, putting a mantle over his head to conceal the daylight.

Once Naruto and Kurotsuchi positioned themselves they turned to the photographers again.

''Right here?'' Asked Naruto.

''Yes, that's perfect'' Said the woman as the man gave the teenagers a thumbs up in response.

''Now what?'' Inquired the pink-eyed girl.

''Oh, that's right, I haven't told you guys what we are supposed to be photographing'' Said the woman with a look of realization. ''We need to capture in a few pictures a couple in love. It's for an art project''

Both Naruto and Kurotsuchi froze up at the word 'couple' as a look of shock appeared on their faces.

''W-Wait a minute! did you say couple?!'' Said Naruto in urgency.

''You got it all wrong. We aren't a couple!'' Said Kurotsuchi just as flustered as the blond.

''You aren't?! But you look so cute together!'' Said the woman. ''Nevermind, that doesn't matter. Even if you aren't you just need to act like one''

Kurotsuchi stared agape at them. Were they expecting them to make out and shit?! No way! Even Naruto looked ready to bail at a moment's notice.

''Y-You know, I don't think we can help you with this one'' Said Naruto sheepishly with a hand on the back of his head.

''Yeah, you got the wrong guys for this. Good luck with your project or whatever'' Said Kurotsuchi just as she and Naruto were starting to leave.

When the woman watched them walking away she got into a panic before rushing at them and throwing herself at the ground, holding both teenager's legs in frantic desperation. ''Please, you have to help me! I really really need to have this done by today!

''Lady, let go!'' Said Naruto as he awkwardly tried to shake off the hysteric woman.

However, Kurotsuchi was a lot less gentle. ''Are you crazy?! Let us go! Have some dignity for fuck's sake!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she tried to free her leg from the woman's grip. This was so embarrassing, some random bystanders were staring at the scene they were making and even the man that had been accompanying the woman was looking totally puzzled without knowing what to do.

''Please, you misunderstand! I just need you to take a couple of pictures of you two together, that's it! I don't need you to do anything!'' Pleaded the woman, which actually made the teenagers stop in their tracks to look at her intently.

''Do you mean that? No weird stuff or anything?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

''Just stand together and that's it?'' Added Naruto.

The woman nodded fervently. ''That's right! You just need to stand together, that's all I ask!''

Naruto and Kurotsuchi glanced at each other in silent understanding.

''Fine, we'll do it. Just get up already, you are embarrassing everyone'' Said Kurotsuchi.

In an instant, the woman's eyes lit up as she stood up. ''Thank you thank you thank you! You are life savers!''

''Just get on with it so we can go'' Said Kurotsuchi in resignation as she and Naruto walked back to where they were before.

''We just have to stand like this?'' Asked Naruto as he stood a few feet away from Kurotsuchi.

''Affirmative! Just a little bit closer, pretty please!'' Said the woman enthusiastically.

That made the teenager take a step towards each other.

''Just a bit more!'' Requested the woman.

After taking yet another step, Naruto and Kurotsuchi's chests were just centimeters away from each other, to the teenagers' discomfort.

''Perfect! Now stare at the camera and give a big smile, would ya?'' Said the woman as her partner went back to peering through the camera.

Naruto gave them his trademark toothy grin that he was so used to while Kurotsuchi tried in vain to turn her grimace into a smile. Nevertheless, the man and woman seemed satisfied with it and took the picture, a quick flash shooting from the camera to signal as such.

''Are we done?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, eager to go.

''Almost. For the next one, I need you two to hold hands'' Said the woman.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi shrugged, seeing nothing wrong with that.

''Now, look at each other in the eye'' Added the woman. ''And keep smiling''

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes and did just that, but upon locking eyes with Naruto she could not help but smile for real, especially with the kind and bright smile that he always made being directed at her. Also, their hand-holding actually seemed to make the action feel stronger and more profound for some reason.

Naruto felt very similar to his close friend. Even with her gloved hand, the tender contact of their hands along with the heartfelt smile she was giving him made the boy feel all warm and fuzzy inside his chest.

After another flash from the camera, the strange woman addressed them once more.

''Only one more and you are free to go!'' Said the woman. ''For the next one, I'll need you close in for a kiss''

That last part shocked the teenagers which caused them to break apart with shock and equally crimson blushes on their faces.

''What the...you said that we would do nothing of the sort!'' Accused Kurotsuchi, feeling fooled and indignant.

''Yeah! You said only stand together and stuff!'' Added Naruto.

''Easy, easy there! I did promise that and I mean it!'' Said the woman with her hands up in a pleading manner. ''You don't really have to kiss, you can just stop right before coming in contact with each other! I just need the shot of you closing in, nothing more! You can do that, can't you?''

Kurotsuchi thought about it for a moment. That wasn't so bad. If it was just pretending like they were going to kiss there wasn't anything wrong. Still, the thought of her and Naruto's mouth being so close made her stomach turn with nervousness. But something in her made her curious to see what would happen, to see what Naruto's reaction- And hers for that matter- would be. It was just curiosity, nothing more. Also, they already promised to help this woman out, as weird as she was.

''Fine'' Said Kurotsuchi simply, which earned her a surprised look from Naruto.

''Really?'' Asked the blond. He had been absolutely certain that she would say no.

''We aren't really going to kiss, so why not?'' Said Kurotsuchi, trying to sound sure of herself despite looking to the side with a blush.

''If you say so, I guess it won't hurt'' Said Naruto, not knowing how else to respond.

''I promise it will be quick if it makes you uncomfortable'' Said the woman with a glint in her eye. ''Just get into position and this will be over before you know it''

And with that, both Naruto and Kurotsuchi closed the distance between them once more and held hands, staring at each other without any words spoken.

They looked sheepishly at each other, their gazes straying from time to time to mask their nervousness as a red tint spread on their cheeks.

''So...are you ready or...?'' Asked Naruto, not sure how to phrase the question.

''Just go for it. As I said, it's no big deal'' Said Kurotsuchi, almost in a whisper. Her tone betraying the fake confidence she tried to express.

For some reason, the girl's whisper made the situation seem all the more intimate for Naruto, causing him to gulp. After that, he gave a deep sigh, this was now or never. ''Okay, here I go'' Declared the boy before he slowly inched closer to Kurotsuchi.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes for a moment when he saw the boy's lips coming closer to her own before she closed her orbs shut as if her body was anticipating itself for a kiss out of instinct.

Naruto was extremely tense. He was finding it hard to keep still when he knew that just a little bit more and he would lock mouths with Kurotsuchi. Even if she was his friend he could admit that the thought of kissing her wasn't an unpleasant one as he considered her a very pretty girl. It took all of his willpower to not just inch forward a little bit and pretend that it had been an accident. In a way, he was thankful that his nerves were also playing a part in keeping him in place.

Even with her eyes closed, Kurotsuchi could sense Naruto's breath on her, but to her disappointment, the boy had indeed stopped just before their lips touched. Her troubled feelings just grew when she realized she had wanted the boy to go all the way much to her puzzlement. She was frozen, still expecting Naruto to go for it despite wondering on the cause of her anticipation. Knowing that Naruto wasn't going to betray her trust and steal a kiss from her, she questioned if she should do it herself. It would be a good way of repaying the boy for all he had done for her, for all the shit she put him through, no, if she really thought about it, it wouldn't even start to compensate for it, but at the very least it would be a nice way to show her appreciation for everything he had done, to put her feelings into an action and hopefully let those same feelings reach him. It could be just a quick but meaningful peck on the lips, she could downplay it later and say it was an accident...

The sound from a camera taking a shot woke the two teenagers from their trance as they both opened their eyes and broke apart from each other. For a moment they forgot they had been posing for a picture. Then, they turned to look at the couple of photographers.

The woman was staring at the man agape and absolutely appalled as the man stopped looking through the camera lens.

''Done'' Said the man simply as the woman, who was still at a loss for words, continued to stare at him in disbelief.

''Then, I guess that's all!'' Said Kurotsuchi, feeling even more embarrassed after realizing what she almost did.

''See ya guys around! Good luck on your art project!'' Said Naruto with a wave before he and Kurotsuchi made a run for it before the crazy woman recovered her senses. After that last photo, they didn't want to keep risk anything more.

''No! Wait!'' The woman called out to them with an extended hand but to no avail, they were gone in an instant leaving her alone with her partner.

The woman dropped her Transformation Jutsu with a puff of smoke, revealing her to be Ino before she turned to look at the man accompanying her with an incredulous expression.

''Sai-Kun! We almost had them!'' Berated Ino. ''Why did you do that?!''

The man also vanished in a puff of smoke and Sai stood in its place. ''I had a clear shot'' Said Sai simply, clueless as ever.

Ino face palmed, it was just like Sai to miss the obvious romantic signals those two were showing. After having worked with him for a few weeks it had been more than enough for her to understand what Sakura had meant when she said that Sai was completely socially inept. She still thought he was hot but he still sometimes could make her lose her mind. ''They almost kissed! The photo was meaningless, jeez!''

''I see'' Said say, now understanding what Ino meant. ''I'm sorry''

''Just forget it. I'll think of something else'' Said Ino in resignation. ''At least let me look at the photos, they ought to be interesting at the very least''

Sai nodded before handing her the pictures just as requested.

Ino took the pictures and her disappointment increased shortly after glancing at them. They were terribly out of focus! You couldn't even make out the faces! Ino would much prefer that Sai stuck to drawing. ''Is this your first time using a camera?''

''Yeah'' Admitted Sai. ''I have not handled a lot of tools outside of ninja training'' Taking photos was a recreational activity, and recreation wasn't something that members of ROOT did much of. Sai was lucky that he had been allowed to draw as a hobby in the first place and that was only because he used his drawing skills for his Jutsu.

''And after all the effort I made to make them allow us to photograph them'' Lamented Ino.

''Speaking of which, did you really have to make such a scene, Ino-San'' Said Sai was he sealed away the camera he had been using moments ago. He would return it later to the store they had rented it at.

''What can I say, I'm quite the actress, don't you think?'' Said Ino with a wink.

''I guess'' Said Sai, deciding against telling her otherwise. After having screwed up this attempt he was trying to avoid any comment that may be taken badly by the Yamanaka. ''But do we really have to do this every day?''

''Well, of course. There's nothing better than having the satisfaction of knowing that you helped someone else find their soulmate!'' Said Ino dramatically. ''Also, this beats working at the flower shop, so there's that''

''About that, I don't think we will be able to do this for much longer'' Said Sai thoughtfully. ''Judging by the weird looks she gives us, Kurotsuchi-San seems to be getting suspicious. I don't think it will be long for her to figure out what we are up to'' He might be bad when it concerned social interactions but he had been trained to spot the reaction of an enemy ninja that might be realizing your tactics and that applied here in Sai's opinion.

''You might have a point'' Said Ino. Sai was right, they could not keep doing this. It was helping develop Naruto and Kurotsuchi's relationship that was for sure, but at this rate they would be discovered sooner or later and at that point they would not be able to help further. They needed to find a way to get both Naruto and Kurotsuchi to spend time together but not in the usual way as they spent a lot of time with each other already, no, they had to find a way to get them into a fun but romantic avenue by themselves, but the question was how the heck was Ino supposed to do that?

As the Yamanaka pondered on their problem, she noticed an older woman at the store across the street putting paper lamps on the rooftop. Also, she also spotted an old man constructing a small stand at the far end of the street while yet another person was putting decorations in another building. That was when Ino widened her eyes as an idea came to her.

''Of course, why didn't I think of it?!'' Said Ino suddenly, startling Sai in the process. ''Sai, you know what day is tomorrow?!''

''October tenth'' Said Sai. '' So?''

''So?! it will be the festival of the Kyuubi's defeat!'' Said Ino. ''That's the perfect setup to hook those two up!''

''And it will also be Naruto-Kun's birthday'' Said Sai, remembering that part from all the research he did on Naruto when he had been assigned to his team.

''Is that so? Then even better!'' Declared Ino.

''But how are we going to make them go?'' Asked Sai. ''Kurotsuchi-San, to be more specific. She doesn't seem like the one for festivities'' Even less if they were talking about Konoha festivities.

''Just leave that part to me'' Said Ino with confidence. ''As for you, Sai-Kun, I have a special task for you...''

-Konoha's training grounds-

After her very uncomfortable encounter with the couple of weirdos that called themselves photographers, Kurotsuchi put all of her focus into her training to help her get rid of those odd thoughts she had had when she and Naruto had been about to kiss. She shook her head at that, no they had not almost kissed! She definitely hadn't been about to kiss Naruto!

She massaged her temple. How fortunate for her that Naruto was at the other side of the training grounds and out of sight or it would be impossible to concentrate. Well, back to her training, she had found something interesting yesterday in her training but didn't have the chance to test it out at the time because she was running late to meet with Team Gai, but now it was the perfect moment to try it.

She made some hand seals as she puffed her chest. ''Yoton: Sekkaigyo no Jutsu!(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' She spat a blob of quicklime onto the ground and just as she had noted yesterday, smoke came out of the ground as the blob touched it, slowly sinking into it as it corroded the soil. Kurotsuchi looked on in fascination. She had never seen her Jutsu do something like this. Before it just trapped her target and hindered their movements while Kurotsuchi spayed the cement-like substance with water to make it harden and trap her enemy, and the quicklime, apparently, acted just like before but it somehow turned corrosive, which was good for her since it meant that it had offensive properties by itself now instead of being a nuisance until she followed up her attack with something.

She stopped to think for a few minutes trying to figure out why her technique had suddenly changed until she finally came to what was the most likely conclusion: She had been improperly mixing her Chakra Natures before. It seemed to her that she had been undermining her fire affinity slightly, not on purpose of course, and she had used to put more of her earth nature in her Jutsu without her noticing.

Kurotsuchi smiled as she contemplated her improved technique. It looked like Kakashi had been right, training her fire affinity had been a good idea after all. Now, by overcompensating her earth nature she could use the Sekkaigyo as a form of restraining Jutsu if needed, or she could properly mix her natures and use it offensively and still have the option of hardening the quicklime in either case. Not bad at all.

But as she thought on all the new applications of her Jutsu, a new thought entered her head: what if she did it the other way around? What if she overcompensated her Jutsu with her fire affinity instead of the earth one? Would it change into something else, something she could use? That was something she would have to test.

With a new goal in mind, Kurotsuchi closed her eyes and put her hands together making a seal as she focused intensely on feeling her Chakra. Trying to split and mix Chakra Natures wasn't easy, that's why the ability to be able to do it was considered a Kekkei Genkai, and even those with one didn't have it easy in doing it. That was the reason it took her several minutes of just focusing on her Chakra until she was positive she was balancing her Chakra more in favor of fire than earth, and once she knew she had the right mix she didn't waste any time to try her Jutsu again. ''Yoton: Sekkaigyo no Jutsu!(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' She spat yet another blob of quicklime, but this time she noticed something different in the consistency. Instead, the quicklime looked and felt more like ash but it seemed that part of the technique was still quicklime, which made Kurotsuchi groan in annoyance. It appeared like she had messed up. If she had to guess, the entire thing would have been ash if she had done it right. She still didn't know how ash would be useful in battle but it was worth experimenting over to see all the potential this version of the Jutsu had.

She was excited at the prospect of making her own technique and was determined to keep practicing for the rest of the day, or at least what she had left before she went to train with Gai and his team...

-Unknown Location-

Several shadowy figures stood in a circle inside a cave. Most appeared to be some kind of hologram save for Deidara and his newest companion, Tobi.

The meeting of the Akatsuki had just started a few minutes ago but there were still some matters to discuss.

''Now that the extraction of the Rokubi has been completed we need to decide on our next plan of action'' Said the figure with the purple ripple-pattern eyes.

''Me and Kakuzu aren't far from The Land of Fire, we could go for the Kyuubi right away, Pain-Sama. He and his bitch made a mockery of Jashin-Sama and that can't be forgiven. I'll parade that brat's severed head along with his friend's corpses as punishment!'' Said one of the shadows before turning to look at a figure with green eyes and red sclera. ''What do you say, Kakuzu?''

''I don't usually agree with Hidan, but we'll have to go for the Kyuubi eventually'' Said the shadowy Kakuzu. ''I would rather do it at once and not waste any more time so I can get back to claim bounties''

''But Kakuzu-Senpai, Hidan-Senpai, you must be careful! The Kyuubi and his Konoha ninja friends are strong!'' Said Tobi. ''They even beat up Deidara-Senpai black and blue!''

Deidara snarled and cursed under his breath. He would normally have rebutted Tobi for that comment, but after knowing how the bastard really was he was afraid to get on the idiot's bad side, even if he was ashamed to admit it.

''But we don't suck ass like Deidara!'' Said the other figure. ''So there is nothing to worry about!''

Deidara turned to glare at Hidan. ''One of these days, I swear-''

''Enough, I don't want you starting another argument'' Ordered the shadow of Pain, which immediately ended the dispute before it could even start. ''And I have to agree with Tobi to some extent, going after the Kyuubi so boldly will be difficult. Hidan, Kakuzu, the Kyuubi has already fought the two of you, he already knows about Hidan's immortality and if someone in the Land of Fire spots you Konoha will hear from it and send teams to hunt you down, teams that will be prepared to counter your abilities''

''I say let them come!'' Said Hidan arrogantly. ''One can't counter immortality, they will just be coming to their deaths! Jashin-Sama will sure enjoy their blood''

''You could send me and Itachi-San to capture him. Konoha also knows of our abilities but I'd always liked a good challenge anyway'' Said another hologram with the figure of a large sword over his shoulder. ''Or we could go after the Ichibi. My water Jutsu should be a good counter to his sand''

''We leave the Ichibi for now. We just attempted to capture him not too long ago, Suna will still be on high alert. We should wait for the dust to settle before we make any more attempts on him'' Said Pain. ''Also, you two will probably have your hands full soon enough''

''Hmmm, what do you mean by that, Pain-Sama?'' Inquired Kisame and the comment even captured the attention of Itachi's red-eyed figure.

''I learned of this just recently: Uchiha Sasuke has killed Orochimaru'' Informed Pain.

That comment made the cave go deathly silent and seeing that no one talked Pain continued. ''And not only that, but it appears that he is gathering a group of skilled individuals, he has already recruited Jugo of the Scales and the last member of the Hozuki clan''

''So... Suigetsu, uh?'' Said Kisame. ''It has been a while since I last heard from him. I quite liked the kid, he was a killing machine, almost on par with Zabuza''

''Kisame, Itachi, that's why you have to be alert'' Said Pain. ''They will most likely be looking for you. Uchiha Sasuke and his group must not be underestimated''

''Aren't you proud of your little brother, Itachi-San'' Said Kisame with a toothy grin as he regarded Itachi who had stayed silent and listened attentively all throughout the meeting. ''Killing one of the Sannin and forming his own group of assassins. They grow up so fast, wouldn't you say?''

''In that case, I might be hunting Sasuke myself, un'' Said Deidara. ''I wanted to be the one to kill Orochimaru and the little prick robbed me of the pleasure. Also, Sasori no danna wanted to kill the filthy snake, and as his former partner it falls to me to complete his wishes, un''

''Anyway, back to the matter of the Kyuubi'' Interrupted Kakuzu, impatient to know what his next move was going to be so he could get back to his own interests, the sooner the better. ''If me and Hidan can't go after him and the rest of the teams are busy, are we going to forget about the Kyuubi for the time being, then?''

''I didn't say that. Despite everything, You and Hidan are still the best option to go after him'' Said Pain. It was true, Kisame and Itachi were being hunted by Sasuke and his group and Pain didn't want to risk them facing two groups at once, not to mention that Konoha knew more about Itachi and Kisame's techniques than they did on the zombie duo; Deidara and Tobi were not a good choice either as Konoha also knew of Deidara and Tobi wasn't ready to show himself to the world yet so he would most likely not fight seriously; and as the rulers of Amegakure, Pain and Konan didn't have as much freedom to go everywhere as they pleased. ''You are still going after the Kyuubi, but you'll need to be more tactful in the way you go about it''

''What do you have in mind, Pain-Sama?'' Asked Hidan. He didn't know what their leader meant by 'tactful'.

''I'll think of something. Once I have your instructions I'll send Zetsu to you with your orders'' Said Pain. ''If no one has anything more to say this meeting is over''

Seeing as no one else said anything, that was Pain's signal to end their gathering. ''Very well. Until next time'' Declared the leader and one by one the holograms disappeared until just Deidara and Tobi were left.

''So, Sasuke has killed Orochimaru'' Commented Deidara more to himself than to Tobi. ''I'll show him what happens when you take my prey, un''

''What do you plan to do, Deidara-Senpai?'' Asked Tobi with a tilt of his head.

''Isn't it obvious? I'm going to kill the little shit'' Said Deidara as he summoned one of his clay dragons, getting ready to take off.

''But, Deidara-Senpai! It's too dangerous!'' Said Tobi in worry. ''Orochimaru is dead, that's all it should matter, right? There is no need to take such risks!''

''This is personal, Tobi. I don't expect you to understand'' Said the bomber.

''Deidara''

There was again! The change in Tobi's voice signaled Deidara that the masked man wasn't playing around right now which caused the blond man to go stiff.

''Stay away from Uchiha Sasuke, I mean it'' Said Tobi, glaring at the terrorist through the hole in his mask. There was no positive outcome for Tobi from a showdown between Deidara and Sasuke. He had plans for Sasuke, and he couldn't have the boy die before those plans came to fruition. Alternatively, Tobi didn't save Deidara and risked revealing himself to the world to have the idiot risking his life for nothing. So and in all, the death on any of the two didn't benefit Tobi in the slightest.

''O-kay...'' Said Deidara simply, not feeling like going against Tobi when he got like this. ''So what do we do?''

''We go after Sasuke but observe him from a distance until the time is right'' Informed Tobi.

Deidara didn't know what Tobi's deal was. Observe Sasuke? For what? He wanted to argue against the stupid choice of Tobi but the hard stare that the black-haired man was giving him sent chills down his spine.

''Fine'' Said the bomber with reluctance.

''Awesome! I knew you would understand, Senpai!'' Said Tobi, going back to his carefree persona. ''But first, let's get something to eat, I'm starving! I know of a good place nearby''

Deidara didn't know how could someone go back and forth from a goofball to a serious killer in the blink of an eye, and in a way it made it all the more creepy. So with that said, Deidara didn't have another choice but to follow Tobi to whatever restaurant the masked man had in mind.

-Konoha's Streets-

Kurotsuchi walked aimlessly through the street. She had just finished looking for Team Gai as she didn't find them today at their usual training spot and apparently they had gone out on a mission. So with her usual training session canceled, she didn't have anything else to do. She thought it would be a good idea to go and see how Naruto was doing on his training but she still didn't think that she could face him without remembering the event of the photograph earlier in the day. Something was wrong with her, being close to Naruto was becoming more uncomfortable by the day and these feelings she had scared her as they were alien to her. She wondered if the boy felt the same or it was just her that was the weird one with the problem.

''Yoo-hoo, Kurotsuchi-San!''

The Iwa Kunoichi was taken out of her thoughts and turned around to see Yamanaka Ino approaching her with a wave.

''Hey, Ino-San'' Kurotsuchi greeted the blonde as the Yamanaka stopped just right in front of her.

''Long time no see!'' Said Ino, despite seeing the tomboy almost every day in some Henge form. ''How are you?''

''I'm doing fine, I guess'' Replied Kurotsuchi, she still found hard to interact with Ino as she didn't know the girl that much even with the constant tries of the girl to befriend her. ''And you?''

''Putting up with Shikamaru and his lazy ways, having to chase Asuma-Sensei to get some advice from him, and making sure Choji doesn't gorge himself to death, you know, the usual'' Said Ino.

''I see'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''And what have you been up to?'' Asked Ino

''Just training and stuff. Nothing much to do for me here'' Responded Kurotsuchi.

Ino felt as thought she was talking to Sai with how dry Kurotsuchi was being in her answers so she figured she would go straight to the point. ''You know, Sai-Kun and I were wondering if you and Naruto could accompany us to the festival tomorrow?''

''Festival?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. Ah, that was right, tomorrow was the anniversary of the Kyuubi's defeat, of course Konoha would celebrate something like that.

''That's right'' Said Ino. ''I want to go on a date with Sai-Kun and I feel it would make me less nervous if we went on a double date''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that. A double date?! So that would mean going on a date with Naruto! No there was no way she could agree to that, it was way too embarrassing. She still hadn't sorted the strange feelings that Naruto incited in her, going on a date with him didn't feel like something that would make her confusion disappear and if anything it would make things worse.

''Sorry, I don't think I will be able to help you with that'' Said Kurotsuchi with a faint blush as she turned around to walk away as knowing Ino she would pester her until she agreed. ''It was good seeing you, Ino-San''

Ino already expected that response but she didn't come here without an argument to her case. ''Hey! I'm not doing this just for me, you know?! I also don't want Naruto to spend another birthday alone'' Said Ino and as expected Kurotsuchi stopped in her tracks.

''Birthday, you say?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, glancing back at the Yamanaka. She remembered Naruto mentioning that his birthday was going to be soon, but he never specified a date.

''You didn't know? Tomorrow is his birthday too'' Said Ino. She knew that Kurotsuchi was going to listen if it concerned a special day for Naruto, now she had the tomboy right where she wanted her. ''I heard from Sakura that Naruto usually doesn't celebrate his birthday, he spends it mostly avoiding people, actually''

Kurotsuchi hadn't thought about that. If the villagers were celebrating the defeat of the Kyuubi then the last thing they would want was for Naruto to be present to remind them that the Kyuubi was still around, imprisoned, but still around. Naruto most likely avoided people on his birthday not only to avoid the glares from the people but also to not trouble everyone that just wanted to enjoy the festivities. The thought of Naruto spending isolated what should be a day of joy for him made Kurotsuchi glance at the floor in sadness, it was just too cruel for someone as good-hearted as Naruto to endure that kind of treatment as if he had not endured enough throughout his life.

''I know that you know by now, that Naruto is a very kind person. The kind that likes to see other people happy even more than he would like to be himself'' Said Ino, making Kurotsuchi snap out of her sad thoughts and redirect her attention to her. ''I don't know why people hate Naruto, but I don't think it's fair, is not fair that he doesn't get to enjoy his own birthday. That's why, for once, I want him to have a birthday that he can remember with a smile on his face. Don't you want that too?'' Asked Ino. Even if she was saying all this to convince Kurotsuchi to go to the festival, Ino was still speaking from the heart. Naruto could be annoying, sure, but there was no denying that he had a heart of gold, and he was one of the people that deserved the least those kind of unhappy birthdays.

Kurotsuchi frowned somberly. That was true, Naruto deserved to have some happy memories of his special day. He had done so much for her, and she had been so awful to him in the past, was it too much to ask to help her friend in this? Even if she had to go on a date despite her troubled feelings?

Ino could tell that Kurotsuchi was debating the issue hard in her mind, so she decided to give one more push. ''Look, maybe 'date' was such a strong word for it. You don't have to commit like that if you don't want. Just you two hanging out, as friends, would be enough to make his day. What do you say?''

Ino waited patiently for Kurotsuchi to answer her as it was obvious that her words had reached the hard-headed girl.

Kurotsuchi knew that it would mean a lot to Naruto if she got to enjoy his birthday even if just for once and as her friend she would be doing him a disservice if she didn't look up for his happiness. So, ignoring the nerves in her chest, she made up her mind. ''All right, I'll go''

''Really?! That's wonderful!'' Said Ino, clapping her hands in joy. ''I know that Naruto will appreciate it and I can go with Sai-Kun''

Kurotsuchi nodded, and even after she tried to make her unease go away she could feel herself getting nervous again just by the mere thought of going with Naruto to a festival. Even if she had agreed that it wasn't technically a date it still felt as one.

''I almost forgot, don't forget to wear something pretty!'' Said Ino.

''Something pretty?'' Repeated Kurotsuchi.

''Yeah, you know, like a dress, or a kimono or something'' Said Ino.

''But I don't have anything like that!'' Said Kurotsuchi. Even back in Iwa she barely had things of the sort, here in Konoha she barely even had pajamas.

''Don't worry about a thing. I will lend you one of my prettiest pieces of clothing'' Said Ino. ''I'll go to your place in the afternoon to get you ready for the festival''

''In the afternoon? Why so early? I don't think the festival starts before evening'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''What, to properly groom you of course!'' Said Ino as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Didn't Kurotsuchi ever spend a good few hours putting on makeup, trying on shoes and the like? Ever?! She was going to teach her how to be a lady for once. It was going to be fun. ''And don't tell Naruto. I want it to be a surprise''

''Sure...I guess I can do that'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''All settled then!'' Said Ino as she started going away with a content smile at her victory. ''Don't forget, in the afternoon!''

Kurotsuchi waved dumbly at the retreating form of the Yamanaka. She was going to have to think of some excuse to skip training tomorrow. She was wondering in just what she had gotten herself into...

 **Author's note:**

 **Next chapter is here! Oh man, this one was another fun one to write! Still a bit on the short side, though. But it couldn't be helped since as I said before, this and the last were going to be a single chapter but I had to break it into two parts so the pacing would not be off.**

 **I have nothing much to say, really.**

 **As always, please review or PM me if you have the time! Until next time!**


	28. Chapter 28: Festival And Realization

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 28: Festival And Realization

Naruto walked through the marketplace with Sai at his side. He had his hands behind his head casually, this was the first time Sai had asked him to hang out and he didn't have a problem with it. Naruto knew how hard Sai was working to make friends, and if the pale young man was trying to be friendly, Naruto didn't have any problem with complying. Sai was much better nowadays than how he had been when they met him, so the blond could say that he didn't mind accompanying him and give him a chance. At least the ROOT member had been a good friend until now.

''Hey, Sai, what did you say we were looking for again?'' Asked Naruto. Sai had just told him he wanted to buy something and wanted him to come along but had yet to explain what that something was.

''Clothes for the festival tonight'' Said Sai, seeing no point in keeping that piece of info hidden.

''The festival? What do you mean by that?'' Asked Naruto.

''Ino-San wants you to come with us to the festival and instructed me to make sure we get some proper clothes'' Explained Sai.

''Wait a minute'' Said Naruto, stopping both him and Sai in their tracks and causing the pale boy to stare at him curiously. ''Is that what this is about?''

''Yeah. Is there a problem?'' Inquired Sai.

''The thing is that I don't like the festival that much, honestly'' Said Naruto as he scratched his cheek. ''I don't think I should go''

''Ino-San insists. She wants to celebrate your birthday by going together as friends'' Explained Sai calmly.

Now Naruto felt even worse about declining. It was a very nice gesture from his friends, it was something that no one had done for him before actually. He knew that his friends had good intentions but he avoided the festival for a reason. He already knew that most people in the village didn't like him, and even less so during the festival where they celebrated the fox's defeat, so Naruto had decided long ago that he would do everyone and himself a favor by not assisting, that way the people didn't have to worry about uncomfortably pretending he wasn't there and Naruto didn't have to spend the night knowing that everyone would rather he disappeared. Naruto could always get the villagers attention another day with a prank or something, so laying low for a single night wasn't a big deal.

''I'm really sorry, truly. I'll just tell Ino myself that I -Oww!'' Groaned Naruto in pain when Sai interrupted him with a slap on the back of his head. ''What the hell?! Sai, you asshole! Why did you do that?!''

''Ino-San told me to hit you if you refused to come'' Explained Sai.

''If she wants me to go so badly she can come tell me herself'' Said Naruto.

''She is busy at the moment'' Said Sai. ''Also, Ino-San wanted me to warn you that if despite everything I've said you still don't end up going, she is going to come looking for you, beat your butt, and drag you to the festival kicking and screaming if she has to''

Naruto looked at Sai in disbelief. What the heck! What was Ino's problem?! Naruto would never understand women, now he knew what Shikamaru meant when he said girls were troublesome. ''All right, all right, I'll buy some clothes but I don't promise anything'' Said Naruto. If it really mattered so much to Ino and Sai that he came with them then fine, he would make the effort.

Sai nodded in approval, glad that Naruto complied. And with that, both teenagers went into a clothing shop in the same street they had been in.

The shop was rather large, at least in Naruto's opinion as he didn't shop much around these places. On the roof were two rows of several hanging lights that kept the place well illuminated, mannequins displaying several attires were in the middle of the store while around them plenty of clothes hung from the railings on the walls that were divided by gender and categories like formal wear and casual wear. Naruto saw the counter at the very end of the store, however, when the clerk turned to them to welcome them into the shop she went stoic and turned to the side when she spotted Naruto as one of the clients.

Naruto frowned in annoyance, that's why he didn't like shopping that much when even the owners weren't happy to see him. At the very least it was better now than when he had been a child. As a kid, most store owners flat out didn't sell him stuff, now they just ignored him but at least they did let him buy.

Deciding to not pay the rude clerk any mind for now, Naruto made his way further into the store alongside Sai. The smell of new clothes saturated the air as the pair walked aimlessly searching for anything to buy.

Naruto didn't know how formal his clothing was supposed to be as it was his first time going, but he supposed that going formal would be the safer bet, so he and Sai stopped just in front of the Kimono section.

''See anything you would like, Naruto-Kun?'' Asked Sai, trying to strike a conversation and hopefully get an idea himself on what to get.

''I dunno, let's see...'' Said Naruto as he scanned the row of Kimonos until a certain one caught his eye, an orange kimono! Just perfect! He grabbed the sleeve as he examined it. ''I think this is a good-Oww!'' Once again, he was interrupted by a hit from Sai before he turned to glare at the ROOT member in a threating manner. ''Sai...''

''I was told to do that if you were to choose something orange to wear'' Explained Sai.

''I guessed as much, but you are not Ino. Hit me again and I'll kick your ass'' Warned Naruto. He wouldn't hit a girl- unless it was an enemy Kunoichi attacking him, of course- so if Sai thought he could keep slapping him on the back of the neck he had another thing coming. ''And what about you, do you know what you are going to buy yet?''

Naruto watched Sai stopped to think for a moment before the pale boy turned to him with a serious look. ''No idea''

Well, Sai wasn't going to be much help, was he? Naruto sighed, he hated shopping for clothes. He would just rather grab something plain and comfortable and leave it at that, but knowing Ino she would most likely clobber them if they arrived wearing something she didn't approve of. It looked like this would take a while...

-Kurotsuchi's Apartment-

Kurotsuchi paced back and forth in her small living room. She had skipped training today, she doubted that Kakashi and the rest would think too much of it, she could always make an excuse later. But it had been necessary, otherwise she would not have had the time to meet with Ino around this hour, and speaking of which the Yamanaka should be about to arrive to help her get ready for the festival and her not-date with Naruto. Just thinking about it made Kurotsuchi a bundle of nerves, this still felt like a date no matter how they chose to label it. But she had to remember that she was doing this for Naruto and besides, she was going to be spending time with her best friend in a holiday so it ought to be a pleasant experience, at least she hoped so.

A knock on the door made the Iwa girl stop walking and quickly made her way to open it, revealing a cheery Ino on the other side.

''Hello!'' Greeted Ino. ''Are you ready to start your makeover, Kurotsuchi-San?''

''As ready as I can be, I suppose'' Responded the pink-eyed girl. ''Come in''

''With your permission'' Said Ino as she stepped into the small apartment. ''I have never been to your place before. It feels cozy, I like it''

''Thanks'' Said Kurotsuchi, despite knowing that Ino said that to be polite. Being the heiress to the Yamanaka clan she must be accustomed to much better living standards that would make her own apartment feel pathetic in comparison, Kurotsuchi should know, she missed her own accommodations back in Iwa sometimes but it wasn't so bad once you got used to it.

''And it's so close to Naruto's place too. That must be quite the plus for you'' Said Ino with a sly look.

''What do you mean by that?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with a frown.

''Nothing, nothing'' Said Ino with a dismissive wave of her hand. ''Now, what do you say if we start getting ready for the festival?''

''Sure, that's why you are here for'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Then, take a seat wherever you'd like, please'' Said Ino.

Kurotsuchi shrugged before she went to the couch in the living room and promptly sat down.

After that, Ino reached into her pouch and pulled out some makeup accessories, like eyeliner, lipstick, and eyeshadow. ''I brought some clothes for you to try them out, but first I'll help you with the makeup!''

''I don't think that's necessary. I can do that myself'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Come on, this is what girl friends do for each other. I came all the way here, at least let me help you with that'' Said Ino.

Kurotsuchi sighed. If it was so important to Ino to help her with her makeup, then, by all means, she could have the pleasure. ''Okay, you win. Just don't go overboard''

''Don't stress over it, I know what I'm doing'' Reassured the Yamanaka before approaching the tomboy and leaning towards her with her powder in hand.

Kurotsuchi blinked a few times when she felt Ino applying powder to her cheek. She wasn't used to anyone doing her makeup for her, heck, she didn't use makeup most of the time.

''You should put on makeup more often. You have the looks to be turning heads: smooth skin, long eyelashes, exotic eye color. A lot of girls would envy you'' Commented Ino. For a tomboy that didn't care about feminity, Kurotsuchi did have the features to be quite the looker if she just put more effort into her appearance.

''I'm a Shinobi. Looking pretty is not a necessity to the achievement of my goals'' Said Kurotsuchi as she crossed her arms stubbornly. She never had much interest in 'girly' stuff, that just wasn't how she was. Yeah, she did wear more fancy stuff for special occasions, sometimes, but that was it.

''We are not just Shinobi, we are Kunoichi'' Said Ino, as she continued to apply more makeup. ''Sometimes we have to use our looks to get advantage in a fight or missions, and that's fine, it's an advantage we have, we should embrace it''

Kurotsuchi rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time someone said that to her. ''I want to be known for my skill and progress, not for how well I distract men with my cleavage''

''Still, you can't deny that it feels nice when someone else acknowledges how good you look'' Said Ino, but when she didn't get any reaction from Kurotsuchi, she added something else. ''For example, I bet that Naruto is going to be pleasantly surprised when he sees you tonight''

For a split second, Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that before she tried her best to appear uncaring at the notion. ''Good for him. I'm doing this so he can enjoy his birthday, so he better be glad to see me''

Ino knew that Kurotsuchi was trying to put on a front of indifference but she knew better. ''For my part, I think it will be funny to see his reaction. I bet he will be left speechless''

Ino could see Kurotsuchi frown in thought but didn't comment on it. Thinking that she was not going to get a further response, Ino went back to her task until, to her surprise, Kurotsuchi talked again.

''Do you really think he will like how I look?'' Kurotsuchi asked timidly, glancing to the side to hide her blush.

Ino smiled knowingly. It appeared that Kurotsuchi was even more nervous than she had thought. That was a good sign, it meant she really cared. ''I know he will. Trust me''

This time, Kurotsuchi allowed a smile to grace her face. The idea of Naruto finding her attractive was a pleasant one. If only because it would be amusing to see his reaction, yeah, that was it, there definitely wasn't another motive.

-Konoha's Streets-

Naruto marveled at how lively the village looked right now. The sun had just set, signaling the start of the festival. The street was illuminated with numerous paper lamps hanging from every rooftop, all the vendors that usually only opened in the day had made an exception and brought stands of every kind of snacks one could think of like cotton candy, ice cream, dango, daifuku, onigiri, and too many more for Naruto to count. The streets were filled to the brim with people of all ages and walk of life, from parents to children, from the young to the elderly, civilians and Shinobi. It was almost as if all the people in the village had decided to attend.

Naruto had seen the village this busy before but never in this light. watching all of Konoha's inhabitants cheering, laughing and all around having a good time warmed him on the inside. They may ignore him and glared at him, even now as he passed them by more than a few people didn't miss shooting him dirty looks once they got over their surprise at seeing Naruto in there. But no matter what, Naruto still liked to see his people happy, even if they hated him, they were still his people, his village, and as future Hokage wanted to protect them and see them filled with joy. Of course the glares directed at him bothered him, but he would not give up until they accepted him even if he had to put up with their hatred for who knew how long.

He and Sai passed yet another food stand, and Naruto couldn't help his mouth from watering at the delicious smell. He didn't want to eat yet and risk getting his new clothes dirty so soon after just buying them. He had settled for buying a black Kimono with a black Hakama. If he wasn't allowed to wear orange, then he would settle for the color one could not go wrong when dressing formally. As for Sai, he was wearing a gray Kimono but was also wearing a black Hakama.

''Sai, where is Ino? Do you know where are we supposed to meet her?'' Asked Naruto, he was already starting to feel self-conscious of all the shocked and resentful eyes following his every move and the person that had practically forced him to come had yet to show up.

''Around here. We are on time, so they should not take long to arrive'' Said Sai as he and Naruto stopped beside a restaurant.

''They? What do you mean, 'they'?'' Inquired Naruto with a puzzled look. Was someone else coming? ''I thought only Ino was coming''

Instead of an answer, Sai shot him genuine smile, a devious one, which unsettled Naruto. It wasn't every day that Sai smiled for real, and it was the first time he had seen him smile like that, it worried the blond.

However, Naruto didn't have another chance to keep questioning Sai, as a familiar voice called to them.

''Good to see you guys made it in time''

Naruto and Sai turned around to see Ino standing in front of them, she was wearing a purple Kimono with flower designs, red lipstick, and a white sash around her waist tied like a ribbon. Both boys could admit she looked good, Sai especially was blushing at the sight of the Yamanaka. Despite working with her extensively for these past few weeks, Sai had never seen her looking so pretty.

''About time. You are late, Ino'' Complained Naruto. After forcing him to come she could at least have the decency to not make them wait.

''You could practice more patience, Naruto'' Said Ino. ''A lady takes a long time to get ready for a night out, so be more considerate. We came as fast as we could''

''And speaking of which, what do you mean by 'we'? You didn't come alone?'' Asked Naruto in confusion.

''Obviously. Can't you see who is right there?'' Said Ino as she pointed behind her with her thumb.

''There's no one there'' Replied Naruto with squinted eyes.

At Naruto's comment, Ino turned around to see that effectively Naruto was right, no one was behind her. ''Excuse for a moment'' Said Ino before she entered the restaurant that they had been standing outside, going out of sight of the two males.

''What are you doing?!...They are waiting for us...Don't be silly, you look amazing...'' Naruto and Sai could barely make out Ino's loud voice coming from inside the restaurant, but due to the noise of the crowd they couldn't hear the person she was talking to.

''Here we are, guys! Sorry for the delay'' Said Ino as she came back out, dragging another girl by the arm.

The girl shot Ino a glare once the Yamanaka let go of her arm, but her features softened as she became embarrassed when she realized that Naruto was staring agape at her.

Naruto was speechless, he could not take his eyes away from the newcomer. That had to be the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. She was wearing a red Kimono that hugged her body tightly, showing her slim figure. Her short straight raven hair was shiny and combed behind her ears, showing her green earrings. She had pink lipstick and a slight pink tint on her pale cheeks. She had eyeshadow that made her gaze look all the more alluring as it accentuated her bright pink eyes...Wait, pink eyes?!

''Ku-Kurotsuchi?'' Said Naruto, almost at a loss for words. He had never seen Kurotsuchi looking so...feminine.

''Of course. Who else would it be?'' Said Kurotsuchi, trying to mask her own unease with fake confidence.

''I-I didn't expect to see you'' Said Naruto, still not believing his eyes.

''I wanted to surprise you. I'm glad to see that it worked'' Said Kurotsuchi with a smirk. ''It's your birthday after all''

''That's right! You are supposed to have fun in your birthday'' Said Ino. ''We couldn't just let you miss out on the festival''

''That's what friends are for'' Added Sai, with another genuine smile.

''Guys...'' Said Naruto, holding back the tears threatening to come out. This had to be one of the nicest things anyone had done for him.

''Anyway, Sai-Kun and I will be going on ahead, we'll meet up with you guys later!'' Said Ino as she grabbed Sai by the arm and dragged him along.

''Aren't we going to go all together?!'' Asked Naruto, and even Kurotsuchi looked trouble at that. They were going to leave them alone?!

''We promise it won't be long, I just want to show Sai-Kun something!'' Ino shouted back, trying to reassure her friends. She was quick to go, pulling Sai along before either Naruto or Kurotsuchi complained.

Both Naruto and Kurotsuchi stood motionless as they watched Ino and Sai sprint out of sight.

Naruto didn't understand what was going on. It was weird that Ino claimed to gather everyone together to celebrate his birthday only to bail on them. Girls were definitely weird. At least he had Kurotsuchi with him, which was more than enough for Naruto, especially when she looked so gorgeous, but on the other hand, it made things awkward as he could not look at her without his mind going crazy.

Kurotsuchi couldn't believe this, Ino left her alone! She promised it was a group gathering! Now she was left alone with Naruto which made her not-date feel like an actual date.

''So, do you want to go take a look around the place?'' Naruto asked tentatively, trying to play it cool.

''S-Sure'' Said Kurotsuchi.

And with that, they too started walking around the festival as they passed by numerous stands of food, games, and souvenirs.

The walk was rather uncomfortable, as both of them were way too nervous to talk, causing an awkward silence between them. Also, the harsh stares of the villagers were making Naruto feel even worse by the minute. He just wished that just for once they would stop, at least while Kurotsuchi was present. Luckily, they didn't seem to recognize her, not when she was dressed like that and wasn't wearing her uniform, but it still had to be unpleasant for her to see everyone glaring at them because of Naruto.

''Hey''

Naruto was pulled out of his mental struggle to look at Kurotsuchi.

''Don't pay them any mind'' Said the girl, already suspecting what was worrying Naruto, she could see it on his face. ''Don't let them ruin your night. Right now you are here with me, that's all that matters'' Said Kurotsuchi before grabbing his arm with her own and giving him a smile, her cheeks reddened slightly.

Naruto stared at her in surprise. He returned her smile with a grateful one. She was right, he would not let them spoil this moment. He was here with his best friend in the world and that was all he could ask for.

Kurotsuchi had surprised even herself at her sudden burst of confidence. When she had seen Naruto getting depressed she felt a strong urge to cheer him up despite her bravery faltering previously.

A moment later, Kurotsuchi stumbled and Naruto barely managed to catch her before she fell. This is why she hated wearing Geta!

''Are you okay!?'' Asked Naruto in worry. He had not expected her to lose her balance, she was usually so graceful in her movements.

''Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just not used to wearing these things, it's like using mini stilts or some shit like that'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I don't know why I let Ino put me in these clothes, I must look ridiculous''

''You don't look ridiculous, that's absurd!'' Said Naruto. ''I think you look very beautiful''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at Naruto's bold statement, and her cheeks went crimson once more. ''Y-You really think so? You aren't saying that just to make me feel better, are you?''

''Of course not, I'm serious'' Said Naruto, scratching the back of his head nervously as he blushed himself. ''You always look pretty''

Naruto's admission worsened Kurotsuchi's blush. She avoided meeting his gaze, knowing that Naruto thought of her as attractive made her giddy. ''Th-Thanks. You look great too. I'm surprised you didn't get an orange Kimono, actually'' Said Kurotsuchi, hoping that a silly joke would relax her a bit.

''Thanks. Ino and Sai didn't let me get an orange one, so I wasn't sure if this color suited me'' Said Naruto as he examined one of his sleeves.

''Well, next time just get the orange one'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''Really?'' Asked Naruto. No one he knew shared his love for the color, most people said he looked silly in his orange jacket, in fact.

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''You are fine just the way you are, Naruto. If you want to wear neon orange, then by all means, do it if that's what you want to do''

''That's a relief'' Said Naruto. ''Sai said that Ino stressed that I should never ever wear something as ridiculous as an orange Kimono, but if Kuro-Chan likes it then It's all right by me''

''Wait, you Said 'Kuro-Chan'?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with confusion. Naruto had never called her anything like that.

Naruto seemed to panic when he realized what he had just called her. ''I-I'm sorry, I said it without thinking it! I promise to not call you that again if you don't want''

Actually, it wasn't the first time someone had called her that. Her father and some guys that had thought they were funny had done so in the past. She didn't even let her dad call her 'Kuro-Chan' so it went without saying that those guys got a beating. But she didn't mind when Naruto did it, not him. They had gone through so much and grown so close, it felt right when he said it. ''I don't mind'' She finally said.

''Do you mean it?'' Asked Naruto, unsure if she was kidding.

''I do. I don't care. B-But only when we are by ourselves! I don't want people thinking weird stuff about us'' She added quickly.

Naruto's surprise rapidly vanished and he smiled at her. ''Got it. Kuro-Chan''

Kurotsuchi grinned timidly at the blond. It was silly, really. It was just a stupid nickname, but having Naruto be the only one that could call her that felt as something private, something profound that only they two shared, and she loved it.

They both smiled warmly at each other for several seconds before Naruto cleared his throat.

''You want to get something to eat? Some Ice cream maybe?'' Suggested Naruto.

Kurotsuchi nodded, accepting his invitation. ''I'd love that''

Meanwhile, Sai and Ino looked around a corner from the distance, watching as the two lovebirds approached an Ice cream stand.

''This is going well. I think'' Said Sai.

''Just 'Well'? It's going amazingly!'' Exclaimed Ino. ''I knew this was a good idea'' They hadn't done anything yet and those two were hitting it off pretty good.

''We better move further, Ino-San, or we are going to lose them'' Said Sai.

''Actually, I don't think they need our help that much this time'' Said Ino.

''You think?'' Asked Sai.

''They also need to nurture their relationship naturally. It will make it more organic and stronger'' Said Ino. Also, she wanted to enjoy herself too for a change and she wasn't going to let a date with Sai be all about work. ''What do you Say if we also have fun, Sai-Kun?'' Suggested Ino with a wink.

Sai stared at her as he blinked slowly, not knowing how to respond to that. ''I guess...'' He didn't have the chance to say anything more before Ino latched onto his arm.

''Let's get going then! I'll show you how to have fun at all costs'' Said Ino as she dragged a clueless Sai towards a set of stands.

Back with Naruto and Kurotsuchi, after getting their Ice cream they had gone to one of the many bridges in Konoha and were currently watching the night sky in a relaxing silence as it looked all the most beautiful with the moon's reflection on the water's surface as they continued to eat their icy treats.

''You know, it seems we always end up watching the sky together'' Commented Kurotsuchi. ''Not that I'm complaining''

''I know, right'' Said Naruto in amusement. It just felt Natural to do these things with Kurotsuchi, it relaxed him, and apparently, it relaxed her too. ''I just didn't know what else to do while we finished our ice cream''

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding, she could accept that. Suddenly, she smirked deviously as she thought of something. ''speaking of which, do you want a taste of mine? This flavor is really good'' Suggested the girl.

''Umm, okay'' Said Naruto, not seeing any problem with it.

She extended her ice cream to Naruto for him to taste, but when he got close to it, she smeared his nose and part of his cheek with the ice cream.

''Hey!'' Complained Naruto as he took a step back.

''Sorry'' Said Kurotsuchi as she giggled. ''I could not resist. I can't go for long periods of time without messing with you. It's like a need at this point''

''Very funny'' Said Naruto, clearly not amused. Yeah, she was good ol' Kurotsuchi, all right. Even if she looked absolutely stunning right now there was no doubt she was still her. ''I think it got into my nose''

''Don't exaggerate'' Said Kurotsuchi with a roll of her eyes.

''I'm serious, I might have inhaled some'' Said Naruto as he tried to clean himself.

Kurotsuchi sighed, she thought Naruto was being overdramatic. ''Fine, come here. Let me help you out'' Said Kurotsuchi as she pulled out a napkin.

Naruto complied and closed the distance between them before Kurotsuchi started rubbing off the melted ice cream from his nose, making it difficult for him to breath.

''Almost done, so stop squirming!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she finished with the nose and went for the cheek as she leaned in to clean properly.

''I'll do it myself, you are way too rough!'' Said Naruto.

''You just can't take a little bit of discomfort'' Said the girl, not stopping with her self-imposed task.

Naruto decided to stop her, so he put his hand over the one she had over his cheek, stopping the motion. ''I told you it's...fine...'' When the girl stopped and he could focus on her again, he noticed that their faces were close, and her hand on his cheek made this seem even more intimate, leaving him at a loss for words.

Kurotsuchi seemed to notice too, as she stared at him in surprise at the turn of events. She gazed deeply into his blue eyes, enthralled at how nice his eyes looked and how she hadn't noticed before.

For his part, Naruto shifted from looking into her eyes to her rosy lips. He didn't know what, but he had a need to do something as he focused on the pink lipstick she was wearing, and feeling her hand on his cheek made the sensation even stronger. Instinctively he started leaning towards her, unsure of what he was doing, but it felt like the right thing to do.

Kurotsuchi noticed the action, and despite feeling a million butterflies as she watched Naruto's face nearing hers, she closed her eyes, full of anticipation for what was coming.

''Nee-San, isn't that Naruto?!''

At the sound of the voice, both teenagers opened their eyes instantly and stepped back to create some distance. They didn't have time to ponder on what they had been about to do when a group of people approached them.

Naruto and Kurotsuchi saw two girls and one boy coming towards them. One of the girls was Hinata, who was wearing a lavender colored Kimono. The other girl was someone Kurotsuchi had never seen before and even Naruto wasn't very familiar with her. It was a smaller girl with pale eyes just like Hinata, and had shoulder-length straight brown hair and was wearing a yellow Kimono. And finally, they could see Neji accompanying them, he was wearing his normal attire.

''Hinata, and Neji too?'' Asked Naruto, trying to get out of his mind what he had almost done. But to be frank, he couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated at this sudden intrusion, even if he hated feeling that way. Kurotsuchi probably thought he was a creep now.

''Hello, Naruto-Kun'' Said Hinata timidly.

Kurotsuchi had never felt a stronger need to tell someone to fuck off than to these Hyugas present right now. At least Hinata didn't seem to suspect anything, even if she was acting shyly that was her default emotion when near Naruto, other than that she looked completely normal. The younger girl, on the other hand, was looking at both her and Naruto with a suspicious look, and Neji was looking completely baffled which could be a problem. If Kurotsuchi had to guess, Neji had at least seen more than he should, judging by his reaction.

''Hi...'' Said Neji, still in shock. When he had heard Hanabi yell, he had activated his Byakugan by instinct just for a moment, and that had been enough to catch a glimpse of what Naruto had been doing with the Iwa foreigner. He could not believe his eyes, he wanted to convince himself he had been just imagining things but he knew that it was wishful thinking. Now the closeness of those two made sense. But still, that didn't prove that the girl wasn't dangerous, she could be trying to lure Naruto to make him feel safer and easier to manipulate and betray.

''What are you guys doing here?'' Asked Naruto.

''My sister, Hanabi, wanted me to take her to the festival and Neji-Niisan offered to come with us to make sure we were alright'' Explained Hinata.

''I had never met your sister before!'' Said Naruto before addressing Hanabi. ''Hi there, Hanabi, I'm Uzumaki Naruto, nice to meet you!''

''Thanks, but I already know who you are, Naruto-San. Hinata-Nee talks a lot about you'' Said Hanabi slyly much to Hinata's horror.

''Hanabi-Chan!'' Said Hinata with mortification.

Hanabi just smirked, if her sister wasn't going to be forward with Naruto, she would give her a little push. That was until she remembered Kurotsuchi as she laid eyes on her. ''And who are you?'' Asked Hanabi, rather rudely. she didn't know the girl but if she was trying to steal Naruto away from Hinata then Hanabi decided she didn't like her.

''Hanabi-Chan, that's no way of talking to someone!'' Said Hinata, even more embarrassed at her little sister's attitude problem.

Kurotsuchi frowned at the brat for her disrespectful tone. ''None of your-''

''She is my friend Kurotsuchi'' Interrupted Naruto, trying to avoid a conflict between the girls.

Hanabi seemed to not care about that so she just brushed off the introduction. ''Anyway, I was wondering if you, Naruto-San, would help me and Hinata-Nee with something'' Said the girl.

Both Hinata and Naruto looked at Hanabi with puzzled expressions.

''Uh? Okay...'' Said Naruto, not knowing how to respond. But as soon as he said that, Hanabi grabbed him and Hinata by the arm and dragged them along with her.

''H-Hey, wait! where are we going?!'' Asked Naruto as he was forcefully separated from Kurotsuchi.

''What are you doing, Hanabi-chan?!'' Said Hinata, deeply ashamed for the bold action of her sister, and in involving Naruto no less!

''Just follow me, I'll tell you later!'' Said Hanabi. This was the perfect time to get her sister and Naruto alone and away from that other girl.

Kurotsuchi looked offended at being left alone because of the brat. She wasn't really angry at Naruto as she knew he didn't want to go, no, she was angry at the little brat that thought she could do as she pleased. She was about to give chase and give Hanabi a piece of her mind when Neji addressed her, stopping her in her tracks.

''You didn't come to our training session today'' Said Neji with a frown and crossed arms.

''I was busy, and still am'' Said Kurotsuchi, trying to end her conversation with the Hyuga prick as soon as possible to go look for Naruto. ''Also, yesterday you guys left me hanging too and you don't see me bitching about it. So don't make it a big deal when it doesn't have to be, Hyuga''

''Hmmp, I would have expected you to have better manners considering you are the one who requested training with us, but I guess I expected too much from the likes of you'' Said Neji. ''I'm actually surprised you managed to come to the festival looking decent, but I guess it's true what they say: You can put lipstick on a pig and it will still-''

''Finish that sentence and I'm going to fuck you up'' threatened the girl.

''I didn't know you were allowed to raise a fist against a Konoha ninja'' Neji shot back.

''I'm not. But who is to say that in our next training session I don't request a spar with you and I 'accidentally' end up overdoing it and breaking an arm or two from you'' Said Kurotsuchi.

Neji sneered at that. Like she had a chance to best him in Taijutsu.

''Now fuck off, I'm not in the mood to deal with you'' Said Kurotsuchi, preparing to leave.

''I don't know what you are trying with Naruto, but you should know that you won't get away with it'' Said Neji, getting Kurotsuchi's attention again.

''What?!'' Said the girl.

''I don't know if you are trying to manipulate him for your own gain, Iwa, but Naruto won't fall so easily for your tricks, and neither will I or the rest of his friends let you'' Said Neji.

Kurotsuchi greeted her teeth. Neji didn't know what her relationship with Naruto was and she didn't want to hear the moron talking out of his ass about things he didn't know about. ''Don't speak about things you don't understand, Hyuga''

''What is it that I don't understand? For all I know you are trying to allure him to make him do as you wish'' Said Neji.

''Shut the fuck up! You know nothing about us! He is my friend, I'm not trying to fool anyone'' Yelled Kurotsuchi. She was trying to contain herself or she would end up assaulting Neji right there.

''Like I'd believe someone like you'' Said Neji.

''I couldn't give less of a shit if you believe me or not!'' Said Kurotsuchi before turning and rushing off, because if she stayed there another minute she would murder Neji and in turn get herself killed.

She walked rapidly and furiously through the crowd of people, looking for Naruto. When she finally found him he was still with Hinata and Hanabi trying to make an excuse to leave that apparently Hanabi wasn't listening to.

When Naruto saw Kurotsuchi he didn't even get a chance to mutter a word before she snatched his arm and stormed off, leaving a very confused Hinata and angry Hanabi behind.

''Kurotsuchi, what's wrong?'' Asked Naruto, barely keeping up with her pace.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi couldn't hear anything of what Naruto was saying, her mind was clouded with rage still. How dare Neji say she didn't really care about Naruto!? Damn Hyugas! First, they interrupted her kiss and then they had the audacity to say that her feelings weren't genuine, that she was trying to manipulate Naruto, That her love for him was a farce... Kurotsuchi's sprint came to a sudden halt and her breathing was caught in her throat. Love?! did she just admit to herself she loved Naruto?! She had been lamenting that she couldn't kiss Naruto, she had yearned for his lips, to feel him close in a way no one else had ever been with her. She had admitted that just now!

Naruto was getting worried. Kurotsuchi had just come in the blink of an eye to take him away, apparently furious and out of her mind, and dragged him halfway across the village only to suddenly stop and stare at the ground in silence.

''Kurotsuchi, What is it?!'' Asked the blond, but she didn't even seem to hear him, it was as if she were in a trance. He shook her to get a reaction out of her, but as soon as she laid eyes on him she panicked for a moment before she sprinted away. ''Kurotsuchi!'' He tried to go after her, but she slipped through the people around them and he quickly lost her. He frantically looked around him trying to find any sign of his best friend but he soon realized he had been left alone among a multitude of strangers.

Kurotsuchi ran and ran until she was short on breath, barely acknowledging anything around her. She didn't know for how long she had been sprinting, she only knew that her feet hurt and that she found herself in a part of the village she didn't know. She finally stopped to look around her, trying to get her bearings, and when she spotted an empty bench she made her way to it and sat down, putting her head in her hands before muffing a sob.

It was time to stop lying to herself. Deep down she knew since long ago, but she had been too afraid to admit it to herself, and too content to enjoy time with the object of her affections to care to act. It was time to admit it: She was in love with Naruto.

She knew that this relationship could never be, that was what hurt so much. Even if by chance Naruto returned her feelings, their villages would never approve of them being together, and the worst part was that she had allowed her feelings to reach this point. She was lost, her mind was clouded as she desperately tried to think this through but the turmoil she was in made it impossible. She just had to go and screw all up, didn't she? Of all the people she had to fall in love with it had to be the only one she could never have. But how could she have avoided it? Naruto was one of the most amazing people she knew; he was selfless, kind, compassionate, he had managed to make his kindness his greatest weapon, he was her best friend, and the boy most worthy of her love she had ever met. That's why it hurt, because she knew she was going to have to put a wall between them, she was going to have to kill off their relationship as she knew she would never be able to be happy with him. If she allowed this to continue further it would be worse in the long run, she had to start now.

A single tear rolled down her cheek as she lifted her head to look at the night sky above her, as if asking the stars for an answer, for another way that could make it possible for her to be happy. But even if she was forced to end things with Naruto before they could start, she would always be grateful to him, for the wonderful times they shared, and for the ones she wished she could continue to share. _''I'm sorry, Naruto. This is for the best, even if it doesn't feel that way''_

 **Author's note:**

 **Here it is! First of all, I know I'm going to piss a lot of people off for interrupting yet another kiss, but that was something I had to do. I'm ready for the flames, bring it!**

 **Now, on a more serious note, I really really really didn't want to leave this chapter in a cliffhanger(sorta) and I had planned on uploading it once I had the next one ready so to not make the wait that much unbearable, but sadly I had to do it right now since next week is exam week so I wouldn't have the time to work on the next chapter. So I either uploaded this right now or I would not upload anything for another couple of weeks. So I decided to upload now.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, I'm tired as all hell it's 5 in the morning right now where I live and I'm still up, I must be a fool considering I have to be up at 7.**

 **As always, please review or PM me if you have the chance and I'll see you guys later!**


	29. Chapter 29: The Invitation

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.  
The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 29: Invitation

-Hokage's Office-

The only sound that could be heard inside Tsunade's office right now was the rustling of sheets of paper and the Hokage Seal slamming into them one after another. This had been a particularly busy day and the female Sannin barely had any time to stop and rest.

Tsunade's eyes shuffled from one document to the next one as soon as he signed it and sealed it, just stopping a moment to sigh in frustration and massage her temple. She dreaded these days, she always had paperwork to do but once in a while it got ridiculous. Still, she kept her complaints to herself. If she had time to be complaining she had the time to be working on the documents and as soon as she finished the better.

There was a knock on the door. The Hokage simply gave permission to pass, not even bothering to look away from her task.

''Tsunade-Sama'' Said Shizune as she came into the office. ''I know you are busy but a letter just arrived''

''Tell me something new. I've had letters arriving all the damn day by now'' Said Tsunade as she slammed the Hokage's seal on yet another sheet of paper. ''Just put it in the pile''

''You might want to take a look at it as soon a possible, Tsunade-Sama'' Said Shizune as she pulled out the letter from the sleeve of her Kimono. ''It's kind of special''

At her apprentice's advice, Tsunade stopped what she was doing to look at the raven-haired medic. ''Special how?''

''I think you better see for yourself'' Said Shizune as she approached her master and handed her said letter.

As soon as Tsunade saw the letter she recognized it immediately and widened her eyes in wonder. She was familiar with the seal on the envelope and she knew for a fact that it wasn't the kind of document one saw too often. So, she quickly opened the letter and read the contents, her brow furrowing further as she did. ''Well, this is interesting...''

-Konoha's training grounds-

''Ready when you are, Naruto'' Said Kakashi with Yamato at his side. They were standing several feet away from Naruto, waiting for the boy to start their exercise once more.

However, Naruto continued to stare at the distance, obviously spacing out.

''Naruto'' Yamato called out to the blond, but still got no response.

Instead of calling out to Naruto again, Kakashi picked up a small pebble from the ground and hurled it at the blond, hitting him in the head.

''Hey!'' complained Naruto when the rock hit him before glaring at his teacher as he rubbed his head.

''You weren't paying attention'' Said Kakashi calmly.

''You could have just talked to me'' Said Naruto.

''We did'' Responded Kakashi.

''Really?'' Said Naruto, ashamed that he hadn't noticed. ''I'm sorry, I was thinking about something else'' Added the boy. He had been thinking about Kurotsuchi lately, or rather how she had been avoiding him once again. Ever since the time they went to the festival a month ago she had made herself scarce. She didn't invite him to eat breakfast in the morning like she used to do, they barely talked nowadays as she always found an excuse to cut their conversation short, and she didn't even come to train with him saying that she had to focus more on Team Gai's training. At first, he hadn't thought much about it, he had guessed that she really was busy with something else, but now it was obvious that she didn't want to see him. Naruto had been beating himself over it, he didn't know what he had even done to make the girl not want to see him. Did he offend her in any way? He didn't remember doing anything to warrant the treatment she was giving him, it was making him lose his mind. He did not want to lose his best friend, he had already lost one, he didn't want to experience the same thing a second time. But he didn't even had the chance to talk to Kurotsuchi about it and ask her what was wrong and hopefully settle this together, no, she didn't even give him the chance. That's why he found it hard to focus on his training these days, but he needed to keep himself together, right now he had to train so ge had to try and worry about his personal issues later.

''Nevermind that'' Said Kakashi, returning Naruto's mind to the topic at hand. ''Just get on with the training. you know what to do''

Naruto nodded obediently as he made a clone and then proceeded to make a Rasengan in his right hand. After that, the clone put his hands over the sphere of Chakra, adding wind Chakra to it and making the Jutsu morph because of it. The Rasengan started spinning even more violently as blades of wind started forming themselves around the ball of energy, resembling a huge Shuriken. The Jutsu was so strong that the wind it produced rustled the branches of the few trees that were around as a screech caused by the violent wind resonated through the training grounds.

''Futon: Rasenshuriken!(Wind Release: Spiralling Shuriken)'' declared Naruto as he held the improved Rasengan with an extended hand, being careful with how he handled the thing.

No matter how many times Kakashi and Yamato saw the Jutsu, they could not help but be amazed every time they did. A couple of weeks ago, Naruto had finally managed to create the Jutsu consistently as at first it only used to work fifty percent of the time. However, they soon realized that the technique was way too dangerous for close combat as it clearly seemed to hurt Naruto when he used it. So, Kakashi had decided that if Naruto wanted to use his newest and most powerful Jutsu he would have to learn how to use it as a proyectile. They had spent a few days already trying to get Naruto to use it properly but they still had yet to succeed. Most of the time Naruto could not even throw it, and they few times he did he did it by accident and the Rasengan ended up going off course and obliterated parts of the training grounds, which was the reason why the place looked half desertic by now as a huge chunk of the trees and foliage had been disintegrated due to the sheer power of the attack.

''Go ahead, Naruto. Se if you can actually throw it properly this time'' Said Kakashi.

Naruto did just that, as soon as his clone dispelled to give him more space, Naruto did a throwing motion with his arm, using all his strength in his swing, but to his dismay, the Rasenshuriken was still firmly stuck on his hand. He gave a frustrated groan as he repeated the process again to no avail. He thrust his arm back and forth to see if something happened. That was until he accidentally did a backward motion with his arm and the Rasenshuriken unexpectedly detached from his arm, shooting it in an arc behind Naruto.

Kakashi and Yamato panicked when they saw the spinning blades of wind coming towards them and they threw themselves to the side, avoiding the attack as it collided with some trees at the distance. The enhanced Rasengan exploded in a giant vortex of wind and Chakra, grinding a large chunk of the forest into nothing as the winds it produced made it feel as if a hurricane was raging in the training grounds. After a few seconds the winds died down, leaving no trace of the trees caught in the blast, leaving just a huge circular patch of land where they had been.

Kakashi and Yamato contemplated yet another level of damage done to the training ground before they turned to stare at Naruto with a look that made it clear they weren't amused.

''hee hee, sorry I didn't mean to throw it at you, guys'' Said Naruto sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head.

''That's quite the Jutsu you got there, kid. Impressive''

Everyone turned to look at the person that just arrived and they found Jiraiya smirking at them.

''Ero-Sennin!'' Said Naruto enthusiastically. He hadn't seen the old pervert in some time. He ran up to Jiraiya, glad to see his old teacher. ''Where have you been?! It's been forever since I last saw you!''

''I'm sorry, kid. I have been busy myself'' Explained Jiraiya. ''I need to keep an eye on my spy network. You know how it is. But I'm happy to see that you have not been slacking off. That technique you just used was something else''

''I've gotten a lot stronger! I bet I could beat you now, Ero-Sennin!'' Declared Naruto.

''Keep dreaming kid. You are still a hundred years too young to defeat me'' Said Jiraiya.

''It's an honor to have you here, Jiraiya-Sama'' Said Yamato politely as he approached the man along with Kakashi.

''Hello to you too, umm...Tenzo, right?'' Said Jiraiya when he recognized the wood user.

''Actually, I'm going by the name of Yamato now. But yes, that's me'' Said Yamato.

''It is indeed good to see you again, Jiraiya-Sama'' Said Kakashi amicably. ''At what do we owe your visit?''

''I came here to say hi and to tell Naruto that Tsunade is calling for him'' Said the toad Sannin, getting a bit more serious now.

''Tsunade-Baachan is looking for me?'' Inquired Naruto. ''What for?''

''Tsunade wants to tell you herself as it's important. So, needless to say, she wants to see you right away'' Said Jiraiya.

Naruto sighed, resigning himself to it. He would rather not stop his training but he knew he should not keep her waiting or she would get cranky. ''Fine'' Said the boy before turning to Kakashi and Yamato. ''I guess I'll see you guys later''

''Sure. We can continue at a later time'' Said Kakashi in understanding.

Naruto hoped that whatever his baachan wanted really was important...

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade was still battling with the large amount of paperwork that didn't seem to end. On top of that, she was expecting Naruto to come soon as it had been a while since she sent Jiraiya to retrieve him.

''I'm here, Tsunade-Baachan!'' Said Naruto as he entered the office loudly, opening the door so abruptly that it caused a gust of wind to knock down some of the stacks of paperwork on Tsunade's desk. ''Did you want to see me?'' Said the blond as Jiraiya entered the office just after him.

''I did'' Said Tsunade, trying to contain her rage at the mess Naruto had made.

''So, what did you need me for?'' Asked the anxious Naruto.

Tsunade opened a drawer on her desk and pulled out a sheet of paper and held it in front of naruto. ''This arrived this morning. Do you know what it is?''

Naruto squinted his eyes, trying to see what was so special about that paper. ''No clue''

''That's a letter from the Fire Temple, kid'' Said Jiraiya. ''It's very rare to receive something from them''

''The Fire Temple? what's that?'' Asked Naruto, not knowing what the big deal was or why that place was apparently so important.

''The Fire Temple is, as the name suggests, a temple not far from here that serves as a place of training for ninja monks loyal to the fire Daimyo'' Explained Tsunade.

''Chiriku, a former member of the twelve guardian ninja is a member of the temple. Also, Asuma knew him quite well I've heard'' Added Jiraiya. ''As you can guess, the monks in there are heavily respected and they are strong too''

''They sound amazing and all, but what does this have to do with me?'' Inquired Naruto.

''Naruto, they have requested to see you'' Said Tsunade, much to Naruto's surprise. ''They want to evaluate you and if they are satisfied with what they see they will train you to be one of the twelve guardian ninja''

Naruto went wide eyed at the information. ''What?! Why me?'' Asked the boy.

''As a Jinchuuriki your potential is limitless. Obviously they think you would be a good choice to protect the Daimyo'' Said Jiraiya. ''Also, since you are my disciple and Kakashi's student they must feel like you are a prodigy or something like that''

''Then, in that case I'm all up for it! Those guys sound pretty strong and important, it would not be such a bad idea to be part of them'' Said Naruto. Finally, someone was acknowledging his skills as a formidable Shinobi! And they were important to boot!

''Don't rush into making a desition just yet'' Warned Tsunade. ''If you accept their offer, supposing they also think you are good enough for the position, you could be away for a long time''

Naruto calmed down a bit after knowing that. ''For how long?''

''At least for a couple of years'' Said Jiraiya. ''It will more likely be more''

''What?! That long?! But I just returned from my three-year trip a few months ago!'' Exclaimed Naruto.

''That's why I'm telling you to not jump to make a choice so soon'' Said Tsunade.

''In that case, I don't want it. I don't want to be gone for that long again'' Said Naruto as he crossed his arms stubbornly.

''Kid, do you know how rare is to get an invitation to be párt of the twelve guardian ninja?'' Said Jiraiya. ''A lot of our Shinobi would dream of getting the job and the vast majority of them will never even come close to be considered''

''But I really don't want to be away for years'' Said Naruto.

''Even if you don't want, you should still go to the Fire Temple and hear them out. Getting a request from them is an honor, it would be very impolite to not see them in person at the very least'' Said Tsunade. ''After they explain everything to you, then you can make your choice''

Naruto thought about the issue in silence. While being in an important and privileged position sounded tempting, being away for years wasn't appealing in the least. Still, he could understand that this was a once in a lifetime offer and hearing the offer from the guys themselves could be a good idea. ''So I just need to go? No compromises yet?'' Asked Naruto.

''That's right'' Said Tsunade. ''You can decline afterward if you want. It's entirely your choice''

Naruto thought that it didn't sound that bad then. What did he have to lose? If he was just going to hear them out it was fine by him. ''Okay, I'll go to this Fire Temple''

Tsunade smiled, glad that Naruto was minding his manners. It would reflect very badly on him if he turned them down without a second thought. ''It's settled. Be at the village gates in two hours. I'll arrange a team to escort you there. Since the Fire temple is just a few hours from here you should be back by tomorrow''

''I understand'' Said Naruto who was now much more relaxed after knowing that he would practically just go and talk to then and be back before he knew it. ''Can I go now?''

''Yes, you are dismissed'' Said Tsunade, groaning in irritation at remembering the piles of paperwork she still had to finish.

''Hey kid'' Said Jiraiya before Naruto could exit the office.

''What is it, Ero-Sennin?'' Asked Naruto.

''What do you say if I treat you to some ramen?'' Suggested the man with a warm smile.

''Really?!'' Said the eager blond.

''You bet! It's been a while since I got to spend time with my favorite brat, so I thought we could catch up over a bowl of ramen'' Said Jiraiya.

Naruto smiled at his old master. That sounded like a great idea.

-Ichiraku Ramen-

It only took Naruto and Jiraiya a few minutes to arrive at Naruto's favorite restaurant, and they were currently sitting at the counter of the ramen stand, waiting for their respective orders.

''There you go!'' Said Teuchi as he placed the bowls in front of Naruto and Jiraiya.

''Thanks, old man!'' Said Naruto with content as she grabbed his chopsticks, ready to dig in.

''Thank you, Teuchi-San'' Said Jiraiya, mirroring his student's actions.

''It's my pleasure!'' Said the ramen chef. ''Now, if you excuse me, I'll be in the kitchen. Call me if you need anything'' Said Teuchi as he went back into the kitchen.

''Will do!'' Said Naruto before he put a bunch of noodles into his mouth.

''So, a member of the twelve guardian ninja, huh?'' Said Jiraiya. ''That's some achievement even if they are just considering you. Nice going, Naruto''

''But I'm not taking the job. So much for the achievement'' Said Naruto as he took another bite of his meal.

''I dunno kid, I think you should take it'' Said Jiraiya.

''What?'' Said Naruto. ''No way! I'm not leaving my friends and my home for that long''

''This is a good opportunity for you'' Insisted the Sannin. ''This is your chance to make a name for yourself, to show the world how far you've come''

''But-''

''You want to be Hokage, don't you?'' Jiraiya interrupted Naruto before the blond nodded at his question. ''Being one of the twelve guardian ninja will speak volumes in the future. It will definitely be good for your career. More people would consider you as a good candidate for the Hokage position if you had such reputation''

That actually got naruto thinking. Would that really help him become Hokage? If that was the case then this whole twelve guardian thing had some merit. But it was still such a hard choice, it most definitely would not be pleasant for Naruto to abandon his home for so long. ''What about Kurotsuchi?'' Said Naruto. ''I take care of her. How could I do it if I wasn't here?''

''You can send her money'' Said Jiraiya simply. ''A guardian ninja works directly under the Daimyo, so they are paid handsomely. Money would be no issue. But you must realize the opportunity present right in front of you. This is a good time to make a name for yourself, you would be regarded as 'Naruto, of the twelve guardian ninja' instead of just the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki''

Jiraiya could see that Naruto was heavily considering the offer, if the way his brow furrowed in concentration was any indication.

''At the very least think hard about it, okay?'' Said Jiraiya.

Naruto nodded somberly, agreeing to at least consider it.

''Hey, and speaking of which'' Said Jiraiya, deciding to change the topic. ''How are things going with your Iwa friend?''

To Jiraiya's surprise, Naruto's expression got even more depressed.

''Not very good at the moment'' Said Naruto.

''And why is that? I've heard that you two got along pretty well'' Said Jiraiya, genuinely puzzled. He still didn't completely trust the girl, but judging from what he heard people say, they really seemed like good friends.

''I-I don't know, Ero-Sennin'' Said Naruto somberly. ''She barely talks to me lately. Also, she always finds an excuse to avoid me. I don't even know what I did to her this time!''

''It does sound complicated'' Said Jiraiya. ''But girls are complicated, I know plenty about that. Whatever it is that has her bothered it should pass in time''

''Could be. But still I'm tired of this fighting between us'' Said Naruto. ''it seems like every so often we end up fighting, and for stupid reasons too, I'm tired of it. I just want to know what can I do to stop all this''

''Naruto, you also have to consider the position you two are in'' Said Jiraiya. ''If you think about it, just being friends is a miracle in itself. A Konoha and Iwa Shinobi as buddies is not something you ever see, so is natural that problems are going to present themselves. Actually, you are lucky that you only get angry at each other for small periods of time, to be honest''

''I had never thought about that'' Admitted Naruto.

''She has to come around eventually'' Added Jiraiya. ''If you want proof just tell her about your mission to the Fire Temple. I guarantee that if she is your friend that will get a reaction out of her once she knows you could be gone for years''

Naruto smiled gratefully at his teacher. Sometimes, the Ero-Sennin knew how to cheer him up. ''Thank you, Ero-Sennin''

Jiraiya returned his smile with one of his own, glad to be of help to his apprentice and godson. ''Anytime, kid'' It was nice to spend some time with Naruto. He was about to go on a mission to spy on the Akatsuki's leader in Amegakure. He just recently learned of the man's identity and needed to keep an eye on him. So getting to have a meal with his apprentice was a nice way of preparing himself mentally for the dangerous mission ahead.

-Konoha's Training Grounds-

''That's a very interesting Jutsu, Kurotsuchi-San'' Said Tenten as she observed the Iwa Kunoichi manipulate a patch of ash as it slithered across the earth.

''I think I'm getting the hang of it'' Said Kurotsuchi as she did quick motions with her hands, making the puddle of ash move at her will. Ever since she discovered that she could produce ash with her Kekkei Genkai if she used more fire Chakra, she had been experimenting with it and found she could manipulate the ash however she saw fit. It was very useful indeed, she hoped that she could eventually use it to restrain specific targets.

''It reminds me of how Gaara-San uses his sand'' Said Lee, who in his curiosity had stopped his own training to come watch Kurotsuchi's unusual Jutsu.

''I'm still thinking of ways to use it, but I do have a few ideas'' Said Kurotsuchi, smiling in satisfaction at the attention she was getting. She had never been modest when it came to showing off her skill.

''Hey guys!''

At the familiar voice, Kurotsuchi's smile disappeared and was replaced with a face of mortification as she tried to find a quick excuse to make herself scarce, but she wasn't fast enough as Naruto arrived at the clearing shortly after.

''Hello, Naruto-Kun'' Said Lee amicably as he saluted Naruto. ''Good to see you!''

''Hi Naruto'' Said Tenten cordially.

''Nice to see you, Naruto'' Said Neji, who had stopped sparring with Gai and came to greet the blond along with his Sensei.

''Glad to see you around here, young Naruto!'' Said Gai as energetic as ever. ''What brings you here on this fine day? Have you come to test your flames of youth, perhaps?'' That was practically Gai's way of asking if he had come to train with them.

''Hello guys'' Greeted Naruto. ''Actually, I came here to see Kurotsuchi''

''I see'' Said Gai before he and his student turned to look at Kurotsuchi expectantly. ''We can take a break if you want, young Kurotsuchi. So you can talk to Naruto, it really is no problem''

Kurotsuchi grabbed one of his forearms nervously as she stared uncomfortably at the ground. ''I would rather keep training if you don't mind'' Said the Iwa girl, to the confusion of everyone.

''Are you sure? Naruto-Kun came all the way here to see you. Just take a break and talk to him'' Insisted Gai, finding it strange the way the girl was acting with Naruto.

Lee and Tenten also stared oddly at Kurotsuchi, wondering what was wrong with her suddenly. Neji for his part glared at the Iwa Kunoichi. She had no right to act like a bitch to Naruto, no, especially to Naruto.

''This is important'' Said Naruto to Kurotsuchi. ''I promise it won't take long''

''Fine, but make it quick'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I'm in the middle of something right now''

Naruto still wasn't satisfied that she apparently was still reluctant to talk to him, he could tell. But she was agreeing to speak to him, so that was something he supposed.

Then, Naruto turned to Gai and his team. ''Gai-Sensei, guys, do you think I can have a moment with Kurotsuchi?'' Said Naruto.

Gai and his team could understand the need for privacy, it seemed like these two had more things to settle than they had thought. ''All right. We will be close by. Just come find us when you are done, Kurotsuchi-San'' Said Gai.

After that, Team Gai left. Lee and Tenten shot Naruto and Kurotsuchi a concerned look as they went with their team until they left the blond and the tomboy alone.

For a moment, both teenagers just stood before the other without muttering a single word.

''So, how have you been?'' Asked Naruto, trying to break the ice. it had been a while since he had had the chance to talk to her calmly as they used to do.

''I'm fine, thank you'' Responded the girl.

''Is your training coming along nicely?'' Asked Naruto, trying to find any way to get the girl to talk to him in the same carefree way they usually did.

''Wasn't something important you had to tell me?'' Said Kurotsuchi, making it obvious that she wanted him to go straight to the point instead of having a casual talk.

Naruto looked both hurt and disappointed that she was making a point to cut their interaction short. But if she insisted he would tell her the reason he came to her in the first place.''I received an invitation to join the twelve guardian ninja'' Said Naruto plainly.

Kurotsuchi contained her amazement. The twelve guardian ninja was a position of high honor in The Land of Fire. It was amazing that Naruto was being considered to join the group. It made her feel proud for Naruto, for how far he had come, but she couldn't let her true emotions show. ''So?''

Naruto was disappointed that Kurotsuchi had nothing else to say. Not even bothering to give him a simple 'congratulations'. ''If I become a member I would be away from the village for years. I wanted to know what you thought of that. Also, I don't know, I was thinking that you could even come with me. It's just a simple trip to talk to talk to the guys at the Fire Temple, I'm sure that I could get you to come if you wanted'' Suggested Naruto. Maybe what they needed was to go to another mission together and they could solve whatever issue they had while doing their task.

This time, Kurotsuchi could not help but widen her eyes in shock. Naruto would be gone for years?! She didn't want him to leave her for such a ridiculous amount of time, she didn't want the boy she loved leaving her side. But she knew that this could only be a good thing for both of them. Naruto's reputation would increase, making it easier for him to reach his dream of Hokage, and if they were apart for such a huge amount of time they weren't risking starting a forbidden relationship. So as soon as her surprise arrived, it left her just as fast.

'''Acompany you? Sorry, maybe some other time. The mission sounds easy enough, I don't think you need my help'' Said Kurotsuchi, despite wishing they could go on another adventure like in the past, but accompanying him would just make things worse, what she wanted was to keep herself apart from Naruto. That's why, with much difficulty she muttered her next words. ''If you want to stay with them, stay. That's your choice not mine''

Naruto looked at her with an expression full of surprise. She didn't care? She was completely fine with him leaving for who knows how long? ''You really don't care if I leave, then?'' Asked Naruto, his voice barely a whisper.

Instead of answering him, Kurotsuchi just continued to stare into the distance in silence, as if waiting for him to be done and over with.

''Why are you doing this?'' Asked Naruto at last. His somber tone of voice letting the girl now the sadness he felt. ''I know you are acting indifferent on purpose'' He didn't know why she did it, but he was certain that she was deliberately acting like she didn't care, just like she had been doing for the past weeks

''Doing what? I don't know what you are talking about'' Said Kurotsuchi feigning confusion.

''Don't give me that! You know damn well what I mean!'' Exclaimed Naruto, unintentionally raising his tone of voice, but he had lost his patience as the impotence he felt at having a friend drifting away from him without being able to do anything was getting the best of him. ''Even my friends just now noticed how weird you are acting! If they can tell something's wrong, you bet I can too. I'm not as stupid as you think I am!''

Kurotsuchi bit her tongue. She resisted the urge to tell him that she didn't think of him like that, not at all. She knew that he was in the right to be angry, but she had no choice, she had to keep avoiding him and play dumb. ''Well, maybe you are because there is nothing wrong. You are just blowing things out of proportion. What? I can't have time to myself without you throwing a hissy fit?'' Said Kurotsuchi, hating herself for how she had to act towards the boy she liked.

''Bullshit! There's more to just 'wanting time for yourself' and you know it!'' Said Naruto angrily. ''At least let me know why you don't want to see me. I'll leave you alone if that's what you want, but at the very least have the decency to let me know the reason''

Kurotsuchi just crossed her arms and looked to the side, feigning disinterest on what Naruto was saying. ''You came here to tell me something, right? Well, you did, so now go and let me be'' Said the girl, ignoring what Naruto said before. She knew she was being overly harsh, but she had to put distance between them, as much as it hurt her inside to do so.

Naruto stared at her incredulously. How could she be this uncaring after all they had done together? ''Okay, I get it. I won't bother you ever again!'' Naruto yelled at her before he sprinted away, not wanting Kurotsuchi to see his pained face, he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing how much she hurt him.

After Naruto left the training ground in a hurry, Tenten ran back to Kurotsuchi. She had been coming back when she heard Naruto yell only to see the blond leave in a hurry. ''Kurotsuchi-San, what happened?! Why did Naruto leave like that?'' Asked Tented as she approached the Iwa Kunoichi. ''Kurotsuchi-San?'' Repeated Tenten as she saw the girl staring at the ground, a shadow covering her face as her fists trembled.

''I'm sorry...'' Muttered Kurotsuchi, so low that Tented barely heard her.

''What's wrong, Kurotsuchi-San? Tell me what happened'' Inquired Tenten again but the tomboy wasn't paying her any mind.

''I'm sorry, I don't think I can train today anymore'' Said Kurotsuchi, finally addressing Tenten again. Then, the Iwa Kunoichi turned around and starting walking away.

''What! Why?!'' Tenten called out to the girl.

''I'm not feeling too well right now. I'll be seeing you later'' Responded the girl in a dejected tone of voice as she left the vicinity.

Kurotsuchi continued to walk with no particular destination in mind. She just wanted to find something to distract her mind, she didn't want to keep thinking about the disappointed and depressed face of Naruto as he stared at her. It hurt, it hurt so much having to act indifferent to him. She wished with all her might that things could be different, that they didn't have the stigma of their village's enmity looming over them, but that was a fantasy, that's not how things were. So she was left to being forced to push Naruto away from her, the same boy that had helped her time and again, the same boy that took care of her, her best friend, and the one she loved. She might have never see him again for all she knew. But this was for the best, as much as it killed her on the inside, this is how things had to be.

-Gates of Konoha-

Izumo and Kotetsu were impatiently waiting for Naruto to arrive. They had been assigned by the Hokage to escort the boy to the Fire Temple and Naruto was late.

''I wonder how long is he going to take? And I thought that watching the gates was boring'' Complained Kotetsu.

''I'm sure something must have come up. Even Naruto has to know this is important'' Sait Izumo.

''I don't know man. If you ask me, I think that Kakashi's tardiness is rubbing off on him'' Said Kotetsu.

Before Izumo could say anything, they spotted the familiar orange figure of Naruto approaching them.

''See? He is here at last'' Said Izumo.

''Finally. I was just about to go look for him'' Said Kotetsu.

They waited a little bit until Naruto joined them before letting him know they were his team.

''Hey Naruto! How are you?'' Greeted Kotetsu. ''I hope you are ready for the trip''

''We have been assigned by Tsunade-Sama to take you safely to the Fire Temple and then back to the village'' Said Izumo.

However, Naruto just passed both of them without saying anything or even looking at them, an action which deeply puzzled the two Chunin.

''O-kay?'' Said Kotetsu, before he closed the distance with Izumo to whisper in his ear. ''Hey, is he alright?''

''How am I supposed to know? If I had to guess I'd say he isn't'' Responded Izumo.

''Well, he is already leaving, so we better hurry and tell him where to go'' Said Kotetsu, noting that the blond was already exiting the village without them. After that, both men went after the Jinchuuriki, curious to know what was up.

Naruto, for his part, didn't pay any mind to anything around him as he walked. His conversation with Kurotsuchi left him deeply troubled. How could she say those things to him? Did she really not care about him anymore? Did she ever care in the first place? He hadn't felt this depressed ever since Sasuke left the village. Kurotsuchi was his best friend. If he was honest with himself, he couldn't think of anyone that he cared for as much as he did for Kurotsuchi. That admission confused him, he didn't know why he felt that close to her, but that didn't appear to matter anymore, not when she didn't want anything to do with him.

With that in mind, maybe this invitation from the twelve guardian ninja wasn't so bad. Maybe some time away would do wonders for him, maybe that was what he needed to settle his troubled feelings. Now, going away for years -especially if it was going to make him stronger- didn't sound like such a bad idea.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Surprise surprise! I bet you didn't expect me to update so fast, didn't ya? To be honest, neither did I.**

 **I just had a free day with nothing to do and thought t would be a good idea to start working on the next chapter and for some reason, this one just came to me naturally, I didn't have much trouble writing this one whatsoever, Don't ask why because I dunno either.**

 **The only bad thing is that this one was short. Again. sorry about that, but I really didn't have anything else to say for this part of the story.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed and as always please Review or PM me if you get the chance. See you next time! I hope I don't take too long.**

 **Update: Hello again. I just wanted to let you guys now that I have edited some scenes in this chapter that I wasn't too happy with, and after some great constructive criticism I have realized what that something was: I wasn't entirely satisfied with the way I portrayed Kurotsuchi originally, as I think I made her reaction way too overdramatic and I fixed some of it. I don't know if I did a good job in fixing the issues but at the very least I hope it doesn't look like a bad soap opera as much now.**


	30. Chapter 30: Regrets

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto.  
The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 30: Regrets

''I'm just saying that we Chunin should have our own lounge, that's all'' Said Kotetsu.

''You spend all your time in the Jounin's lounge anyway. I don't know why you'd need your own lounge'' Said Izumo.

The two Chunin, along with Naruto, had already spent hours traveling to the Fire Temple and the sun would set in just a couple of hours but they weren't in a rush since their destination was just a few minutes away, so they had settled for walking the rest of the way. And as always, the two best friends had discussed over all kinds of trivial matters along the way.

''It was just an idea'' Said Kotetsu. ''That or they could promote me to Jounin''

''You, a Jounin?'' Asked Izumo incredulously.

''Yeah, why not?'' Kotetsu shot back.

''You are not good enough to be a Jounin, man'' Said Izumo.

''I totally am!'' Insisted Kotetsu, seemingly offended.

''Really? You think you could hold your own against Asuma-Senpai, Kakashi-San, or Gai-San?'' Inquired Izumo.

''Maybe I would if I was given the chance to prove myself'' Said Kotetsu.

''Yeah, right'' Responded Izumo with a roll of his eyes.

''Well, if I wasn't doing errands for Tsunade-Sama all the time I would be able to show everyone my skills'' Said Kotetsu before turning to Naruto, maybe the blond would be more encouraging that Izumo. ''What do you think, Naruto?''

For a moment, the boy didn't realize he had been called, but when he felt the gaze of the men on him he turned to stare with a confused face at the two Chunin. ''Sorry, I couldn't hear you guys. Did you ask me something?'' Said Naruto.

''I was just talking to Izumo here and he thinks I'm not fit to be a Jounin, but you think I'm capable, right?'' Asked the expectant Kotetsu.

Naruto just nodded solemnly. ''I guess...'' Was the only thing he said before he went back to staring at the ground as they walked.

The two Chunin glanced at each other with concern. This behavior was very unlike Naruto. On a normal day, Naruto would have brightly smiled and said a few words of encouragement, but now he just settled for a plain 'I guess'? Now that they thought about it, this was the first time in all their travel that the boy had spoken a single word.

''Naruto, are you feeling well?'' Asked Kotetsu in concern. ''You have been acting a little...'' Said the Chunin, trying to find the right words.

''Off'' Finished Izumo.

''Yeah. Off'' Kotetsu agreed.

''I'm fine. I just have a lot in my mind at the moment'' Said Naruto, without even looking at them.

Izumo nodded in understanding. He guessed that anyone would be having reservation about this twelve guardians offer, as it was an important decision that would demand an insane amount of time in service.

However, Kotetsu wasn't as reserved on his guess. ''Oh, and why is that? Having personal problems? Could it be a girl, maybe?'' Asked Kotetsu playfully, trying to add some humor and hopefully raise Naruto's spirits.

At the question, Naruto turned to look at Kotetsu in surprise. ''How did you know?'' Asked the Jinchuuriki, much to the astonishment of the two Chunin.

Izumo was especially amazed. '' _That was actually it?!''_ Thought the man.

Kotetsu had not expected his guess to be right, he was just joking around. Not to mention that he didn't know that Naruto was interested in a girl. Still, he tried to play it cool. ''Naruto-Kun, it was obvious. Didn't you know? I'm an expert when it comes to girls, you could even say I'm a master'' Boasted Kotetsu was he grabbed his chin with a thoughtful look.

 _''Liar, you can't even talk to a cute girl without blabbering nonsense''_ Thought Izumo as he stared blankly at his friend.

''Really?!'' Asked Naruto in excitement. It was the most cheerful the two Chunin had seen him all day. ''Then, maybe you could help me!''

''You can tell me what's up'' Said Kotetsu as he approached Naruto and put his hand on the boy's shoulder in a friendly manner. ''So, what seems to be the problem with your girl?''

Izumo thought that it wasn't Kotetsu's place to be involving himself in Naruto's matters and probably he should stop his friend from prying...but on the other hand, he could not deny he was curious as well. Maybe he would refrain from cutting off his partner this time.

Naruto's look got a bit more mellow as he recalled Kurotsuchi's actions. ''I-I don't know what's wrong with her lately. She has been avoiding me for no reason and I know she is doing it on purpose''

''Ignoring you, uh?'' Repeated Kotetsu. ''And you know you don't know why?''

Naruto nodded in response, making Kotetsu thoughtful.

''Hmmm, complicated'' Muttered Kotetsu. ''But there is a chance that this could be a good signal''

''Good?'' Asked Naruto. ''How is being ignored good?''

''You see, When they start giving you the cold shoulder it could be because they either aren't interested in you, or it could be because they like you and are confused about their feelings. You know, girl's stuff'' Said Kotetsu.

''Confused?'' Said Naruto. ''Why confused?''

''Sometimes when a girl loves you they overcomplicate things in their mind and get distant. Girls are weird like that'' Said Kotetsu.

''Love?!'' Asked Naruto, not expecting that.

''Yeah. Is either that or she doesn't like you and wants nothing to do with you, but let's hope is the former'' Said Kotetsu, earning him a glare from Izumo for the depressing comment.

Naruto frowned in sadness at hearing Kotetsu's explanation. ''I don't think she loves me, so she really must want me to leave her alone, then'' There was no way Kurotsuchi loved him. Someone like her would not love someone like him.

''Don't be so down, kid!'' Said Kotetsu. ''Look, don't just give up like that. If you really love her you must fight for her heart!''

''That's right'' Agreed Izumo. ''If you love this girl, don't just let her slip away. You have to keep trying your very best until your feelings reach her''

''Sorry guys, but you got things wrong. I don't lov...'' Naruto was incapable of finishing his statement. For some reason saying that he didn't love Kurotsuchi felt wrong, like a lie. But why? He didn't love her, at least not in the romantic sense, right? But on the other hand, he could say he cared deeply about her. She made him feel unlike any other person had made him feel. And not just because she was beautiful, but because she made him feel...whole. Like she completed a part of him that he didn't know was missing. The time he had spent with her living beside him had been the happiest period of his life, even if they sometimes fought, the good moments more than made up for it. If he were to lose her he didn't know what he would do...Naruto stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him.

Naruto stopped dead in his tracks as the realization hit him. He loved her...didn't he? Everything clicked in the boy's mind at that moment, now that he understood his feelings it all made sense. He loved Kurotsuchi, he had done so for some time. He didn't know what to do with this realization, but one thing was for certain: He had to get back to Konoha, he couldn't stay with the twelve guardians. He had things to settle and he had to face the girl he loved to put everything on the table. Even if she ignored him, he would not give up, he would find a way for them to talk and come to terms with this situation, that was a promise, and he didn't break his promises.

Naruto smiled confidently, now everything was clear to him. ''You are right, I can't give up on Kurotsuchi. Thanks, guys''

Both Chunin gave the boy a pleasant grin, happy that they could be of help. However, that only lasted a moment when the two men paid attention to what Naruto had Said and widened their eyes in shock.

''Wait, you mean the Iwa girl?!'' Asked Izumo.

''The Tsuchikage's granddaughter?! That Kurotsuchi?!'' Added Kotetsu.

Naruto nodded at their questions. ''The very same'' Responded the blond as he resumed their trip, leaving the two friends standing there dumbfounded.

''Are you going to stay there?'' Asked Naruto with a glance behind his shoulder.

''We-we are coming!'' Said Izumo as he and Kotetsu caught up to the Jinchuuriki.

At Naruto's revelation of his feelings for Iwa's most influential Kunoichi, both Chunin were now silent as they pondered on the bizarre situation. But Naruto didn't seem to mind as he continued to smile with confidence as he now had a purpose in mind.

''We are almost at the Fire Temple'' Said Izumo finally.

Naruto was glad for that. As soon as he met with the Fire Temple monks and told them he would have to pass on their offer, the sooner he would get back to Konoha.

Soon, they could see a path among the tall trees, no doubt it was the pathway to the Fire Temple.

''the temple is just right up...ahead...'' Izumo's voice died down and the three Shinobi stared in both shock and horror as soon as they turned into the pathway. At the distance, they could see a giant pile of rubble.

The tree Shinobi rushed to the ruins of the building and upon closer inspection they could see the extent of the damage: The large metal gates were scrambled among a pile of stones; what seemed to be two bases of statues were left empty and broken as the golden monuments laid on the floor in a million pieces; the outer wall had crumbled, and the wooden roof now was nothing more than planks and splinters. But the most horrifying thing of all was the several bodies scattered all around the place and buried under the rocks. The corpses were wearing white and gray robes, making them fire ninja monks.

''What happened here?!'' Asked Naruto with turmoil.

''This can't be...'' muttered Kotetsu, still not believing his eyes. The gates of the Fire Temple were rumored to be impenetrable. And not only that but Chiriku was known to be very strong, maybe even S class. How on earth could a place like this fall with a man such as Chiriku protecting an already unbreachable building? And without anyone else knowing to boot.

Izumo made his way to one of the corpses. He covered his nose and grimaced at the smell of the rotting flesh. ''This guy has been dead for a while now. A few days at the very least'' Noted the Chunin as he examined the look of agony on the sickly purple face of the dead monk.

''But the Hokage just got a letter from the Temple this morning!'' Remarked Kotetsu. That had to mean that whoever sent the letter hadn't been the fire monks. This was a trap!

Before anyone could say anything more, Naruto and Kotetsu barely felt something coming from them. They jumped to the side as a large scythe struck the ground they had been standing half a second ago.

''So, you came her at last, Kyuubi''

The tree Konoha ninjas were quick to spot the two Akatsuki members just a mere yards away now that they decided to reveal themselves.

''I was tired of waiting'' Continued Kakuzu, staring coldly at the group and coupled with his unusual eyes color it made for a pretty intimidating glare.

''You...'' Replied Naruto with a glare of his own at the sight of the familiar figures of the two criminals.

 _''Akatsuki!''_ Thought Kotetsu in alarm. He had never faced foes such as this before.

 _''This is bad''_ Analyzed Izumo. They were terribly ill-equipped to handle two S-class missing nin. If these two monsters were able to lay waste to the fire temple by themselves- Chiriku included- and look no worse for wear then there was no way that their measly three-man squad could defeat them, even less so if they had not been anticipating a fight.

''You are the ones responsible for doing this, aren't you?!'' Accused Naruto as he pointed at what was left of the fire temple.

''Isn't that obvious? You really are a moron, aren't ya?'' Said Hidan mockingly. ''What? Did you really think that a pathetic and weak brat like you would really be chosen to be a member of the twelve guardian ninja? But now that I think about it, that Chiriku or whatever his name was wasn't so tough, so maybe you would fit quite well with those poor bastards''

''You better come with us quietly'' Added Kakuzu. '' I wasted too much time here that I could be spending tracking bounties. I'm not in the mood to play around this time''

''Like I'm going down without a fight, you assholes!'' Said Naruto as he raised his guard anticipating a fight. ''I'll show you how strong I've become!''

''Naruto, don't!'' Warned Izumo. ''We are not ready to take on guys like these!''

''Listen to Izumo, kid'' Added Kotetsu, just as alarmed and ready to defend himself. ''That would be suicide''

Naruto frowned at their lack of options. ''Then what do you propose we-''

''Run'' Interrupted Izumo.

Naruto widened his eyes at the suggestion and stared at the Chunin for a couple of seconds. They aren't going to let us go just like that so we might as well fight back!''

''We know that we would not be able to get away. Not all of us at least'' Said Kotetsu.

''That's why we'll hold them off for as long as we can. You make it back to Konoha and fast!'' Said Izumo.

''No way! I'm not leaving you guys to face these bastards alone! They are after me, I won't let you take that risk for me!'' Complained Naruto. There was no chance of him leaving comrades behind to save his own ass.

''This is not up for debate! We are Chunin, so we outrank you and we are the leaders of this mission by default!'' Insisted Izumo. Naruto was their village's Jinchuuriki, he was way more valuable for Konoha than he and Kotetsu could ever be and it was their duty as ninjas to see the best possible outcome in their mission even if it cost them their lives.

However, their discussion was cut short when Hidan rushed at them. ''As if I'd let my prey escape!''

The two Chunin quickly sprung into action at the sudden attack, and each pulled a blade to parry the Akatsuki's attack.

''Just go already, Naruto!'' Urged Kotetsu as he struggled to keep back the sadistic missing nin.

Naruto knew that it was time to act, but no matter what Izumo and Kotetsu said, he wasn't going to let them die for him. So, instead of turning back the way he came he rushed into the woods. ''Come and get me, you assholes. I'm the one you want!'' Yelled Naruto over his shoulder as he went further into the forest.

No! Naruto!'' Shouted both Chunin in panic at the blond's disobedience.

''Idiot'' Murmured Kakuzu as he disappeared from sight as he went after Naruto at amazing speed.

Izumo and Kotetsu attempted to follow suit and protect Naruto as best as they could, but their path was blocked again by Hidan, slashing at them while laughing all the while, forcing them to back off.

''I won't let you get in the way. Not like you would make much of a difference anyway'' Taunted the Jashinist. ''Kakuzu can have the Kyuubi all to himself. For my part, I'll settle for dealing with the two of you. I can't kill the Jinchuuriki and where is the fun in that? I need some new sacrifices for Jashin-Sama anyway''

Both Chunin glared at the silver-haired man and they raised their blades again, ready to attack. This whole mission was going to hell and fast. They just hoped that Naruto could deal with an Akatsuki member by himself as they weren't even sure they could deal with this one even two versus one.

Meanwhile, Naruto hastily continued to jump tree after tree, trying to make as much distance from his comrades and the Akatsuki as possible. He was just jumping from a branch when he felt a strong grip grab him by the ankle.

He yelped in surprise when he glanced back to see a forearm connected by some kind of black threads, harshly pulling him down and smashing him into the ground, leaving a small crater with the impact of his body.

''You can't escape from me that easily'' Said Kakuzu as he stepped towards the downed boy as the black thread receded and his arm reconnected properly. Once he was in front of the unconscious Jinchuuriki he regarded him with a look of apathy, unimpressed at how easy he had gone down. But not a moment later, the boy burst into a puff of smoke and several more blonds came out from the trees around him, Rasengan in hand.

Kakuzu responded to the assault by simply extending his arms at either side of his body and shooting dark tendrils at the platoon of Narutos, piercing them and dispelling them and their Rasengans with them.

But as he did so, yet another Naruto came from the ground below the Akatsuki member, also with a Rasengan in hand. Kakuzu easily jumped back, avoiding the blow and catching the boy by the throat with an elongated arm, choking the life out of the clone and making it disappear just like the rest.

However, after he had done so, he groaned in pain when he felt an overwhelming force collide with his back, feeling it grind his robe and part of his skin.

''Odama Rasengan!(Big Ball Spiralling Sphere)'' Shouted Naruto and anther clone as they slammed a larger-than-normal Rasengan in the back of Kakuzu, sending the man flying and slamming him through several trees.

Both Naruto and his clone stood watching the damage done, feeling a small sense of accomplishment at having made a good diversion with the assault of the initial clones and leaving an opening for that last attack.

 _''He should be down for the count after that''_ Thought Naruto, but still he didn't leave his guard down, not after he had done the same against Hidan the last time they met and the bastard stood up like nothing had happened, and Naruto wasn't about to let another Akatsuki surprise him like that again.

And sure enough, Naruto saw Kakuzu walk back into the clearing, but this time he didn't have his Akatsuki robe, revealing a sleeveless gray undershirt.

Naruto frowned in annoyance. He guessed that taking an Akatsuki out with a single attack was too good to be true.

''That wasn't half bad, Kyuubi. But you'll need more than that to do anything to me'' Said Kakuzu calmly although slightly annoyed. The brat couldn't see it since he was face to face with him, but that last attack had taken out one of four masks stitched to his back.

At the very least now Naruto knew that he had to keep his distance from the man if how easily he skewered his clones was any indication. But if it was a long-range battle that was needed he had a couple moves to try. ''Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu(Multiple Shadow Clone Technique)!'' Said Naruto with his trademark hand seal and fifty clones appeared all around him. After that, Naruto and his doppelgangers threw a barrage of Kunai and Shuriken at Kakuzu before quickly making yet more hand seals and thrust their palm forward. ''Fuuton: Reppusho(Wind Release: Gale Palm)!'' The current of wind increased the speed of the projectiles, resembling a blizzard of deadly steel coming towards Kakuzu.

Kakuzu rapidly extended his arms also and his chest started convulsing as his innards seemed to rearrange, making some strange white masks appear at the end of his hands supported by tendrils. ''Katon: Zukkoku(Fire Release: Searing Migraine), Futon: Atsugai(Wind Release: Pressure Damage)!'' both mask opened their mouth, one of them releasing a huge burst of flames while the other a high pressured current of wind, mixing together to form a raging storm of searing flames that clashed with Naruto's technique, overpowering it and using Naruto's own air Jutsu to power itself up even more, causing it to become a massive wall of flames going directly at the Jinchuuriki.

Naruto only had the time to see a gigantic wall of fire making its way towards him at incredible speed. Realizing that with the size of that attack he wouldn't be able to dodge, the clones he previously created gathered around him and climbing over each other to form a dome of clones around the real Naruto in an effort to protect him and the blond even created several more just in case.

Soon after, the raging flames engulfed the Naruto army. The numerous copies gave a pained yell as the heat scorched them and dispelled them in great numbers as the field around them resembled an inferno.

Kakuzu just stared impassively at the destruction his Jutsu was causing until the fire finally died down and just a single Naruto was left.

Naruto laid sprawled on the ground. The earth below and around him had turned black from the heat and a large portion of the trees surrounding him were no ore than ashes or still burning stumps.

Naruto slowly stood up, gasping for fresh air. He had felt as if he was going to die from suffocation and that was without even taking into account the unbearable heat. He brushed off the sweat on his face as he gave a breath of relief. Luckily for him he had come mostly unharmed. However, even just a little less clones and he would have been toast.

''Your Combination of Jutsu was good'' Said Kakuzu. ''But still, any collaboration Jutsu you can make can't compare to mine''

Naruto knew that he was running out of options. Against a foe of this level he would have to use his newest and most powerful Jutsu. Even if he could not properly throw the Rasenshuriken yet he would have no choice but to find a way to make it connect, it was his only hope of getting out of this save for using the fox's chakra, and he had promised that he would not rely on the Kyuubi anymore if he could help it.

But with a new plan of action, Naruto once again created a few dozen clones which rushed at Kakuzu as soon as they materialized.

The Akatsuki member stared in boredom and exasperation at the numerous blond rushing and screaming as they ran at him. As soon as the clones reached Kakuzu they attempted to engage him in Taijutsu, throwing kicks and punches from different directions to catch the man off guard. But Kakuzu was way more experienced than Naruto, he easily dodged, ducked, and side-stepped the blows sent his way while he counterattacked with his superior flexibility that his elongating limbs gave him at the same time as he impaled others with the tendrils coming from his body. But as soon as Kakuzu finishing dealing with the clones he noticed a high pitched noise coming from behind him.

But as soon as Kakuzu finishing dealing with the clones he noticed a high pitched noise coming from behind him. He turned around and widened his eyes when he saw two pairs of Narutos a few yards again from him. They were standing holding a ball of chakra with huge rotating blades of wind coming from them. Those orbs were the cause of the piercing sound and they produced a powerful current of wind around them just for being present. Kakuzu stared in surprise at the weird Jutsu, but if his guess was correct that attack had to be incredibly powerful to cause produce such a reaction in the environment just from the force of the condensed Chakra.

 _''I don't know what that technique is, but I can't let him hit me with it''_ Concluded Kakuzu with apprehension.

''Let's go!'' Yelled one of the boys. a Naruto holding one the powerful orb started running at Kakuzu again flanked by two other Narutos.

Kakuzu kept his distance and shot a long stream of his black tendrils at the approaching teenagers.

Two of the Narutos jumped on the third one to use him as support and jump, avoiding the attack as the third one was dispelled.

Kakuzu expected something like that and quickly shot with his other arm another stream of threads, aimed specifically at the one holding the chakra ball.

The Narutos once more saw the attack coming. One of them grabbed the other and hurled it at the ground and towards Kakuzu with Rasenshuriken still in hand, missing being impaled by mere inches as the other was destroyed.

Kakuzu saw the blond coming and the dangerous attack coming closer at him. Still, the pattern was very predictable and had no problem dodging to the side and the blond rushed past him, missing the attack. But what the Akatsuki member didn't expect was for the boy to turn midair and hurl the ball at him. In his surprise, Kakuzu barely stepped aside to avoid the attack. _''Nice try''_ Thought the missing-nin victoriously.

But at that moment, the orb that Kakuzu avoided turned into another Naruto, revealing the Rasenshuriken to had been a Henge all along.

Kakuzu looked in shock at the new blond just a mere couple of meters away from him and he realized his mistake too late when the clone extended his palm to him and yelled with all his might. ''Futon: Reppusho(Wind Release: Gale Palm)!'' the clone put all the Charka possible on that attack, so much so that he himself dispelled as soon as he made it.

Kakuzu grunted in pain and surprise at the strong wind current that connected with his body, sending him flying through the air and towards the other pair of Narutos that had yet to move.

Just like the pair before them, one of the Narutos grabbed the other by the arms and with a mighty yell threw him towards the airborne Akatsuki member with the real Rasenchuriken in hand, and soon after the attack reached Kakuzu, causing a large explosion of a violent condensed wind.

Kakuzu's yells of agony went unheard as the deafening high pitched wind-like explosion around made it impossible to hear as the Narutos caught in the blast were dispelled as the forest around disintegrated, the fine blades of wind destroying everything they touched at a cellular level.

The remaining Naruto covered his face to shield his eyes from the burst of violent wind befoe him but he was still sent flying backward from the force of the explosion.

That continued for several seconds until it finally died down. Once the wind had calmed, Naruto stood up from the ground and made his way to see the damage he had done.

There was a crater the size of a stadium on the ground, the trees around it had been either uprooted and thrown away or they had been destroyed, and at the ccenter of the crater was the form of Kakuzu laying facedown on the dirt.

Naruto wondered if that had finally dealt with the Akatsuki member, and his questions were answered when he could see Kakuzu's body twitching in an effort to stand up but to no avail. Naruto realized that the man was still alive, albeit just barely. He knew that he had to finish the job. as much as he hated taking a life he realized that unless he took care of Kakuzu he would never be safe from him. So he made his way to the downed missing-nin as he created a Rasengan in one hand.

Kakuzu was still trying in vain to stand, but he realized it was useless. His innards felt like jelly, his normally strong as steel threads that were part of his Jiongu had been so damaged that he could barely move them. He had never expected that Jutsu to be this strong, it had even destroyed most of his hearts save for his original one. In this state a single fatal blow would end him. It was then that he realized that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki was making his way towards him with another ball of Chakra in his hand, and even tough it was the basic version of the last attack it was still and incredibly deadly Jutsu, it would definitely bee enough to kill him in the state he was in.

''You...Damn brat!'' Said Kakuzu, barely managing to mutter those words to the blond, but his rage was so strong that he just wanted to curse him to hell. He would not accept this loss! This couldn't be happening, he would not lose to the worst Jinchuuriki he had met!

Naruto stopped just beside Kakuzu as he stared down at the man. He could see the eyes full of hatred that the Akatsuki member was shooting at him. Naruto knew that this man was one of the people whose sole purpose was to capture and killing anyone like him, but still, Naruto could not help but pity the deplorable state the missing-nin was in.

''I'm sorry about this'' Muttered Naruto as he raised his Rasengan, ready to strike down the man.

Kakuzu could only watch in fury and panic as the Jinchuuriki prepared to deal the final blow.

''Stop right there, moron!''

Naruto halted his attack and glanced behind him in shock to see Hidan standing at the edge of the crater staring down at both of them, and not only that but he was holding a bloodied Izumo with one hand while he had a Kunai at his throat.

''You!'' Said Naruto in anger when he saw the state that his fellow leaf ninja was in. The Chunin looked terribly, his limbs were covered in blood and didn't seem to be able to move them, leaving him at the mercy of the remaining Akatsuki member. ''Let him go, right now!''

''Sorry. No can do, shithead!'' Said Hidan with a mocking grin. ''I may not get along with Kakuzu that well, but I hate you infinitely more! So if you don't want this guy to be gutted like a pig I recommend that you surrender!''

''You bastard!'' Said Naruto with hatred. This was the second time that Hidan held someone hostage against him.

''Idiot, what took you so long?'' Kakuzu managed to say despite his wounds.

''Shut up! I'm not the one that was beaten by the Kyuubi'' Said Hidan angrily. He could not believe that Kakuzu had lost to someone like that boy. Yeah, whatever the brat had used to cause this level of destruction to the landscape had to be something good, but that didn't make the idiot good in Hidan's eyes. It had probably been a lucky shot, and Kakuzu loves to berate Hidan for leaving his guard down, well serves him right for always being a pain in the ass. ''And oh boy, did he thrash you good !''

Kakuzu glared at Hidan. If he ever recovered from this he would teach the loudmouth a lesson for making fun of him.

''So, what are you waiting for?! Surrender right now, or do you want this piece of shit to die?!'' Repeated the Jashinist, poking Izumo's throat with the Kuai slightly just enough to draw blood for emphasis. ''I already killed the other. If you don't want this one to share the same fate listen to me''

Naruto stared coldly and with just barely suppressed rage at the sadist. He had killed Kotetsu?! He would never forgive him!

''Don't...do it...Naruto''

Naruto's attention was diverted to Izumo, who just barely managed to talk.

''Izumo! Hang in there!'' Pleaded Naruto. ''I promise I'll get us out of this mess!''

''No...save yourself...'' Continued Izumo, finding great difficulty speaking not just because of his injuries but also because of the way Hidan was holding him by the collar of his jacket. ''He won't let me live...even if you listen to him...I'm already dead''

''Don't say that!'' Said Naruto in desperation. He would not let one of his comrades die because of him! Kotetsu was dead, he would not let Izumo die too!

''You shut up!'' Said Hidan before smacking Izumo on the face with the handle of the Kunai.

''I'm going to kill you for this!'' Said n irate Naruto.

''Just try it and see what happens to this guy'' Hidan shot back.

Naruto didn't know what to do. This couldn't be happening! This wasn't supposed how this mission was going to go down! He had put two of his comrades in danger just for being a target of the Akatsuki, and he didn't listen to Izumo's orders before when he told him to run. This was all his fault...

''Ahhh!'' Yelled Naruto suddenly when several black threads went through his body, piercing each and every limb.

Kakuzu smirked cruelly at the blond while he held his arm forward and kept his threads on the boy's body, subduing him. He had taken the opportunity of Hidan's distraction to use all of his remaining strength to strike when the Jinchuuriki's guard had been down.

Naruto yelled in pain as he fell to the ground. With each and every limb of his body rendered useless he could not put much resistance as the threads continued to wrap themselves around him and sinking into his flesh.

''Hahahaha! What a dumb fucker you are!'' Said Hidan with sadistic glee. Realizing that he had no more need for a hostage, he didn't waste time and nonchalantly buried his Kunai in Izumo's neck, making the Chunin gargle in his own blood before he died and Hidan tossed his corpse aside like trash.

After that, the Jashinist made his way inside the crater that that Naruto and Kakuzu were in before he grabbed the scythe on his back and started slashing at the downed Jincchuuriki, making Naruto yell and squirm in agony every time he did so. He would make sure the idiot would not be able to move at all just for good measure, and he was going to enjoy inflicting those wound on top of it.

He continued that for a few minutes and by the time he was done Naruto had fell unconscious, his clothes ragged, and was covered from head to toe in his own blood, but still alive even if just barely.

''Stop playing around and help me at once!'' Said Kakuzu in exasperation at his partner. He was still sprawled on the floor, extremely wounded and the idiot of Hidan decided to first have some fun instead of giving him a hand.

''I'm coming, I'm coming. Geez, don't be so impatient, Kakuzu'' Said Hidan as he crouched down to help his partner.

Meanwhile, as the two criminals minded their own business, Kotetsu slowly limped through the nearby woods. He was badly injured and could barely walk. He had been lucky that the crazy Akatsuki member had left him for dead after he inflicted him a seemingly mortal wound on his stomach. Kotetsu himself didn't know how he was still standing, but that didn't matter right now, he had to make it back to Konoha one way or another. He knew that he could not do anything for Izumo and Naruto anymore, not in the state he was in. he just hoped he could make it thorugh all the way without dying, and more importantly, that it wasn't too late to get help.

 **Author's note:**

 **...I know, I know. I disappeared for a while there. And I have no excuse, I really have no good reason for not updating for this long. The truth is that I have been extremely depressed for some very personal reasons and I didn't feel motivated to write. Luckily, I have been feeling much better these past few days and decided to give myself the time to complete this chapter.**

 **And I feel a tad bit rusty from leaving for so long, so I hope I can get back on track soon.**

 **Anyway, as always please feel free to review or PM me if you have the time!**

 **Hope to see you soon!**


	31. Chapter 31: Getting Your Dues

**Disclaimer: I don't own naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 31: Getting Your Dues

Kurotsuchi's pink eyes stared motionless at the wall of her apartment. She was sitting on her bed with her head resting on the wall behind her. She was biting her lip as she tried to keep herself calm but her meditation had proven to be next to useless. Her mind was numb and the emotional pain she felt almost physically hurt. She clenched her fist over her chest, wishing like she could do something to quench her troubled heart, but how could she? She had treated her best friend, the boy she loved, like crap. He had been trying to share his concerns with her and she dismissed him, telling him it wasn't her problem, now he would probably join the fire monks at the fire temple and she would not see him in years.

Would he still be the same knucklehead she fell in love with when he came back? And the worst part was that it would be for the best if he wasn't as it would make it easier to get over her feelings for him. She closed her eyes to curse under her breath. Why did this have to happen to her? She was content with the idea of being alone and single forever until Naruto came into her life, and just when she had been feeling the most wonderful feelings she had ever felt was when she realized too late that those same feelings were the worst mistake she could have made. And even now that she was cutting ties with Naruto and should feel glad for it but she couldn't, it felt wrong even if it was the right thing to do for both of them.

''Kurotschi, are you there?!''

The Iwa girl was snapped out of her thoughts by someone yelling just outside her apartment, and it took her a couple of seconds to recognize Sakura's voice calling out to her.

''Open up, hurry!'' Insisted Sakura before she started banging the door loudly.

Kurotsuchi frowned in discomfort, she wasn't in a particularly good mood to deal with Sakura right now. But the urgency and the strength of the knocks on her door told her that it was probably a good idea to answer and fast before the hinges gave out.

Kurotsuchi rapidly made her way to her door and promptly opened it to find a hysteric looking Sakura waiting for her at the other side.

Kurotsuchi was momentarily taken aback by the medic's panicked look in her eyes and her ragged breath. ''Sakura, what is going on?'' Asked Kurotsuchi at once.

''You have to come with me, it's urgent!'' Said Sakura.

''Okay okay, I'm coming, but why?'' Said Kurotsuchi, wanting to know at least the cause for this distress.

''I'll explain on the way. This is about Naruto'' Said Sakura.

Upon hearing Sakura mention the blond, Kurotsuchi froze and attempted to come with an excuse on the spot. She didn't know what the emergency was, but if Naruto was involved it was best if she stayed far away. ''I'm sorry, but I-''

''He is in danger!'' Interrupted Sakura, making Kurotsuchi's words die in her throat as she stared in shock at the medic. ''If we don't help he will die, do you get that?!'' When Tsunade had requested for Sakura, the pinkette knew that she to let Kurotsuchi know of this. Tsunade never requested for the Iwa girl but Sakura decided that they needed as much help as they could get and Kurotsuchi also deserved to get involved if it concerned Naruto. ''Are you coming or not?!'' Urged Sakura once more.

Kurotsuchi turned her mortified face towards Sakura, staring at her momentarily before she put on a resolute face, making up her choice.

-Hokage Tower-

Tsunade stood impatiently behind her desk, tapping her foot and doing her best not to pace around the room in panic. Before her were dozens of her Shinobi waiting for the remainder of the ninjas summoned just like their leader was doing. She had a frown marring her face and she breathed slowly and deeply to keep her temper in check. But she would not start until her student arrived. _''I swear Sakura, if you don't get here withing the next ten seconds I'm going to...''_

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, the Hokage spotted the familiar pink head of her apprentice entering her office.

''I'm here, Tsunade-Shishou!'' Declared Sakura as she entered the office with Kurotsuchi in tow.

''About time! What took you so...Why is the girl here too?'' Asked Tsunade when she saw Kurotsuchi accompanying Sakura, making the two girls stop in their tracks. ''Nevermind, she can stay. I don't have time for this'' Said Tsunade with a dismissive wave of her hand.

Sakura nodded before she walked all the way to the front of the office, where Kakashi and Sai were already waiting for her.

Kurotsuchi for her part stayed all the way to the back alongside some Chunin that had also been summoned, and aside from the members of Team Seven, she could not see anyone else she knew inside the cramped room.

With everyone present, Tsunade didn't waste another second to start explaining the situation. ''As you've probably already heard when I've called for all of you, we have a crisis in our hands'' Said Tsunade as she eyed the Shinobi before her. ''An hour ago, Kotetsu arrived at the village gates, barely alive and with severe wounds. He is hospitalized right now and in critical condition. And that's not all, he has informed us that his team which I sent on a special mission was ambushed by the Akatsuki''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at hearing that. She clenched her shaking fists in anger as she knew what that had to mean...

''Naruto, who was part of the same team, has been captured and we don't know Izumo's status'' Informed Tsunade, confirming Kurotsuchi's suspicions. At the news, the Shinobi in the room started eyeing each other in worry, dawning on them the direness of the situation at hand. ''I won't keep wasting time here. You are to form teams and go search for the Akatsuki and retrieve Naruto. Capture or kill the Akatsuki if you are able, but Naruto is your priority. If you have to snatch him and escape with him so be it, but you are getting him back one way or the other. Am I clear?'' Finished Tsunade with a stern look.

Everyone in the room nodded in understanding as Kurotsuchi did the same.

''All except for you, girl'' Said Tsunade, pointing a finger at Kurotsuchi when she noticed that the girl seemed to think she was included in this at all.

''Wait, what!?'' Replied Kurotsuchi in indignation. Like hell she was going to stand idle while Naruto was getting his life force sucked out from him. ''You can't do this-''

Everyone in the room flinched as Tsunade brought her palm down on her desk with enough force to crack it, shooting a murderous look at Kurotsuchi who stopped her tirade.

''Listen well because I won't say this again, you petulant child'' Muttered Tsunade in a low and dangerous tone of voice, barely keeping herself from exploding as she dug her nails into the wood of her desk. ''I'm not in the mood to deal with your outbursts, not even close. Say another word or disobey me and I'll throw you into a cell, crippled for life'' Tsunade was feeling like crap, she herself had suggested Naruto go to the fire temple even when he didn't want to go, and she was the one to assign the mission on top of it. She was going to make things right and fast, and she wasn't going to waste her time dealing with the Iwa prisoner more than she had to.

The heavy atmosphere in the room made several people gulp. The Hokage was not to be messed with when she was in a bad mood, let alone when she was livid like right now.

Kurotsuchi was momentarily taken aback by the woman's murderous look and killing intent flooding the room, but she was quick to steel herself and stare back defiantly. She was just as worried for Naruto, and she was going to go one way or another. She was about to reply when she noticed Kakashi, all the way from the front row of all the Shinobi present, glancing back at her and shaking his head gravely warning her from starting a fight with Tsunade.

Kurotsuchi stopped herself at the last second from talking back to the Hokage. Kakashi was right, she needed to be careful and handle this matter with tact. She wasn't going to help Naruto if she got herself thrown in jail before she could do so.

Tsunade just stared coldly at Kurosuchi as the girl glared at the ground and left the office silently. At least the girl knew in the end what was good for her and didn't cause any more trouble.

Sakura frowned guiltily at the scene, she had bee the one to bring Kurotsuchi here. she had thought she had done the right thing but she almost managed to make a terrible situation even worse.

With that out of the way, Tsunade gave her attention to the Shinobi in front of her once again. ''Now I'll arrange the teams...''

* * *

Kurotsuchi made her way out of the Hokage tower pushing people out of the way as she did. Her mind worked overtime as she ignored the annoyed looks of the people she passed by. There had to be something she could do, there had to be! But how? If she wasn't allowed to leave the village how could she ever be able to help Naruto? Unless...

The girl stopped dead in her tracks as a certain thought entered her mind. It was risky. If she was discovered then all would be over for her, and even if she managed to help Naruto there was a very good chance she would pay dearly for this. But she didn't have a choice, she owed Naruto at least that much.

Sakura told her that she heard from the nurses tending to Kotetsu that Naruto apparently managed to defeat an Akatsuki by himself, which was very impressive, but that meant that had she gone with him like he suggested her then maybe they could have taken care of both of the Akatsuki. If she had accompanied Naruto like he wanted, Yugao most likely would have gone with them too and if Naruto could take on a single member by himself then their odds would have been good if Izumo, Kotetsu, Yugao, and Kurotsuchi herself could have taken on the other one. But no, she had been too busy trying to distance herself from Naruto and now this happened. So as far as Kurotsuchi was concerned all this was her fault, so if she had to risk her neck to save the boy she loved then so be it. Now she had a plan and she was going to put it to work...

* * *

At the other side of the village, Sai was hurriedly gathering supplies for the mission to retrieve Naruto. Even thought the briefing with the Hokage had been just a few minutes ago he was already supposed to meet with his team in ten minutes. Normally a team took an hour before they deployed but this was an emergency.

The pale boy walked beside yet another one of the easels scattered throughout his small apartment to grab a pouch containing a couple small blank scrolls that he used for his drawing based Jutsu.

A few knocks on his door grabbed his attention as he turned with a serious face to stare at his apartment door. He just shrugged and decided to ignore it until he was done grabbing all he needed. He was in a rush and didn't have time for visits.

However, the knocks continued and got even louder. ''Open up, faggot, it's me!'' Said Kurotsuchi's voice at the other side of the door before she continued banging on it. ''I know you are there! open this shit!''

''Kurotsuchi-San?'' Said Sai out loud, surprised for the tomboy's sudden visit, especially at a time like this. ''I'm sorry but I'm extremely busy at the moment. Could you come by any other time?'' He liked the girl and he wanted to help her when it concerned her relationship with Naruto but this was a dire situation, he didn't have time to waste with her or anyone else for that matter.

''This is important, so open this door right now!''

Sai continued to ignore her as he adjusted his weapons pouch on his waist.

''Okay, that's it! You either open this door in five seconds or I'll smash it down!''

Sai sighed. It was clear that she wasn't going to relent until he at least heard her out.

Kurotsuchi was getting impatient and she was glaring holes through the door in front of her. The faggot better not leave her hanging or she would find a way to make him regret it.

''Don't say I didn't warn you!'' Said the irate girl, ready to break the door down. ''One...Two...Three...Four-''

Then, the door opened to reveal Sai standing at the other side with his ever serious face. ''Hi, Kurotsuchi-San'' Said Sai without missing a beat. Time was running short, after all. ''Please I would request you to be quick, Naruto's well-being depends on it'' Sai reminded her.

''That's precisely why I'm here!'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''This is about helping Naruto, moron!''

Sai blinked in surprise. He wondered how she intended to do so if she couldn't even go with them according to the Hokage. ''How are you going to do that?''

''Let me in and I'll tell you inside'' Said Kurotsuchi. She wanted to avoid the ANBU constantly following her from listening.

Sai nodded and stepped aside inviting the girl to come in and she did just that.

As soon as Kurotsuchi entered she was hit with a strong smell of paint, which was to be expected when she saw the entire apartment littered with easels and canvas both finished and unfinished, but somehow Sai had managed to arrange them in such a way that they left narrow paths to get around the apartment. It was just like the weirdo to be orderly even when he was messy. Well no matter, she didn't come here to get a tour of the pale moron's apartment.

Kurotsuchi started explaining herself after Sai closed the door behind her. ''I'm going to help Naruto'' Said the girl before she turned to look at the ROOT agent. ''But I need your help, as much as I hate to say it''

Sai had already guessed as much, she would have never come to him otherwise. However, as much as he wanted to help her in any way he could he knew that it would be unwise. She had been explicitly forbidden by the Hokage herself from getting involved in this, and Sai was already on thin ice with the Hokage regarding his true loyalties considering he was a ROOT member, if he helped Kurotsuchi at the very least he would be accused of insubordination or conspiring with an enemy Shinobi, and in the worst-case scenario he could be labeled a traitor. Not to mention that Kurotsuchi was acting in desperation which wasn't a good mental state to be making critical decisions. ''I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help'' Said Sai with regret.

''Now you listen here'' Said Kurotsuchi threateningly as she approached Sai slowly, making the boy lean back slightly in worry. ''My best friend is in danger, in the hands of the biggest assholes I know and I'll be damned if I don't do something to help him! So you either help me or I'll make you help me''

Sai stared impassively at Kurotsuchi's face for a moment before responding. ''I know that you care about Naruto and I know that you want to help him. I get that. But you are distressed and you will be prone to acting recklessly. If you want to beat me up, fine but I would rather you didn't, because if you did you would not accomplish anything but hurt Naruto even more by getting in the way of his rescue mission and getting yourself thrown in jail''

At Sai's words, Kurotsuchi narrowed her eyes in impotence as she glanced at the floor, knowing that Sai had a point.

Seeing that she wasn't going to add anything the boy continued.

''Naruto is my friend too and I'll do anything I can to help him but we have to be smart about this. A wrong and hasty decision could seal a grim fate for him'' Said Sai but Kurotsuchi remained silent. ''I have to finish preparing myself. Now if you'll excuse me'' Finished the ANBU before he started walking.

''It's my fault!'' Kurotschi's grief in her voice made Sai stop in his tracks before he turned around to look at the girl once more.

''It's my fault'' Repeated the girl with guilt. ''He wanted me to come with him, you know''

Sai blinked as he stared at her silently, he hadn't known that.

''I should have gone with him, I've should have been there for him when those bastards attacked him'' Said Kurotsuchi, her somber voice letting Sai know how deeply it troubled her. ''And not only that but I was so cold to him. He only wanted to hang out as friends and I told him to fuck off. I don't want that to be the last exchange between us, I don't want for things to end up like this. He deserves better''

Kurotsuchi approached Sai once more, but this time Sai didn't feel threatened at all, she seemed mellow in fact. She stopped until she was right in front of him and looked him straight in the eye.

''You said you wanted to be our friend, right? You said you wanted to understand more about bonds'' Said Kurotsuchi softly but with resolve. ''I now that I haven't exacted treated you like a friend, and I have never asked anything of you. But just this once, I need you to help me with this''

Sai pondered on this dilemma. He wanted to help, he really did, but this was not his call, he would get into a world of hell if he accepted.

''Sai'' The boy widened his eyes in surprise, in all the time he had known her Kurotsuchi had never called him by his name. ''Please, help me out. Just this once'' Finished the girl, her eyes reflecting her hope.

Kurotsuchi had a point, Sai realized, he did consider them his friends and he had vowed to help them in any way he could. But was breaking the rules the right thing to do for them at this time? He glanced back at Kurotsuchi and seeing the worry but also the strength of her gaze was enough to make him make a decision, he could only hope it was the right one, for everyone involved...

* * *

Kakashi wasn't a punctual man, not even close, but this was an emergency, one that had his student's life at stake and as such he had waited at the gates of the village impatiently, along with Sakura, for Sai to arrive. Still, He couldn't help feeling a bit fretful, he hadn't expected Sai of all people to be late, he had to know the severity of the situation. Anyway, if the boy didn't arrive in the next minute Kakashi would be forced to go look for him.

''Just where in the world is Sai?!'' Asked Sakura out loud. Sai was unbelievable! How could he be late for this mission? Didn't he realize that Naruto was in danger?! ''I'm going to kill him if he doesn't get here this instant!''

''I'm here''

That made Kakashi and Sakura turn to look at Sai, who was just arriving in a body flicker.

''Where the hell have you been?!'' Said Sakura in anger. ''Do you not care about what might happen to Naruto?! He could die!''

Sai shot Sakura a rather annoyed look. ''I'm here now, aren't I? Let's get moving'' Said the boy.

Sakura gave Sai and incredulous look. He was late and still had the gall to act annoyed?! However, before she could say anything else to him Kakashi interrupted her.

''Sai's right, the important thing is that we are all here now'' Said Kakashi, getting the teenagers attention. ''We are already pressed for time, so I'll explain our strategy on the way. So, if you two are all set, follow me!''

And with that, the three Konoha Shinobi rushed past the Konoha gates and into the forest.

-Somewhere in The Land of Fire-

Naruto's muffled screams could be heard all throughout the cave he was in. He bit down hard on the rag in his mouth to try and endure the pain to no avail.

Hidan laughed gleefully as he unburied the Kunai he had stabbed into Naruto's shoulder, inciting yet another pained yell from the bound and gagged boy.

''Would you stop that, Hidan?'' Said Kakuzu as he leaned on one of the cave's walls, sitting down and recovering from his fight with the Jinchuuriki. He was still missing his cloak, and his skin and remaining clothes looked worn down and torn.

''But this is so fun!'' Said Hidan with a cruel smile as he scratched Naruto across the cheek, making the boy wince in pain as he got covered even more in his own blood. ''The little shit heals fast, I can keep stabbing him, beat him, and he is all ready to start all over again in just a couple hours! I think I might have to step up my game, this asshole can certainly take it. And why do you care anyway, Kakuzu? He is the one that got you into that pitiful state, shouldn't you enjoy this as much as me?'' Said the sadist before punching Naruto on his wounded cheek, making the boy fall to the side and to the floor.

''I'll make the runt pay for this soon enough'' Said Kakuzu, annoyed to be reminded of the beating he received, courtesy of the blond. ''But right now I want to recover my strength, in peace and quiet mind you'' Without any other options he had been forced to consume the heart of the Chunin they killed. It wasn't optimal but it would have to do for the moment. At the very least that made him recover his water mask.

''Well, sucks for you because I ain't stopping. I'm having way too much fun of making this brat cry like a little girl'' Said Hidan before he noticed Naruto looking at him, and despite his injuries, being covered from head to toe in his own blood, and the fact that he could barely move, he still found the will to give him a death glare. ''What are you looking at, huh?!'' Said Hidan before kicking Naruto in the stomach, making the boy twist in agony. ''You think you are tough shit while you are whimpering on the dirt covered in your blood?! you look like a fucking pig so squirm like one'' Continued Hidan as he kept assaulting the downed boy with a barrage of kicks.

Kakuzu groaned in annoyance, but Hidan wasn't going to stop no matter what he said, and until he recovered he wouldn't have the strength to make the idiot do what he said. So the only thing to do was to just ignore it as best he could. Then it would be his turn to make the boy's last moments of life a living hell.

-Konoha's park-

Yugao slowly made her way towards Kurotsuchi who was sitting on a bench in the park.

The ANBU passed by some kids playing on the swings as a concerned look marred her features. She had followed Kurotsuchi from Sai's apartment, so whatever she had wanted to accomplish by going to him must have failed, which was a relief for Yugao. She could understand Kurotsuchi wanting to desperately help Naruto, if she was in the girl's place she would be doing the same, but she also didn't want her getting into trouble so it was for the best that her attempts to be a hero didn't work. Still, Yugao felt bad for the girl, she knew that she had to be feeling like utter crap right now and no doubt feeling responsible in some way for what was happening. But at the very least Yugao could check on the girl and see how she was doing.

''Hey'' Said Yugao in greeting once she made her way to the younger girl.

Kurotsuchi tensed up when she heard Yugao's voice before she turned around to return the greeting. ''Hi, Yugao-San''

The older woman looked at Kurotsuchi as she stood alongside the bench. ''You mind if I sit down?''

Kurotsuchi gently shook her head with a bit of reservation but still allowed it.

Both women stayed silent momentarily, enjoying the serenity of their surroundings. Even thought it wasn't quiet due to the laughs of the numerous kids playing around and the chirping of birds it somehow was still soothing.

Finally, Yugao turned to glance at Kurotuchi, she put her arms over her knees as she leaned forward a little bit. ''How are you feeling?'' Asked the older woman. The answer was obvious but she just wanted to bring out the topic.

Kurotsuchi shrugged as she kept staring at her hands resting on her lap. ''All things considered, I'm fine I guess'' Said the girl plainly.

Yugao frowned in worry. It was obvious that she wasn't fine and the girl just wanted to bottle up all her concerns. ''Are you sure about that?'' Inquired the ANBU.

Kurotsuchi didn't respond, opting instead to keep staring at her hands.

Yugao sighed, it was just like Kurotsuchi to be reserved especially when it came to feelings. ''Kid, I know that technically I'm guarding you, but that doesn't mean that I don't consider you a friend. I can only hope you feel the same'' Said the woman wholeheartedly, trying to let the girl know that she could open up to her is she needed it.

Still, Kurotsuchi didn't speak, she just seemed deep in thought.

''I understand that you don't want to speak about it, but I thought that letting it all out might make you feel better'' Yugao insisted, doing her best to do it in a gentle manner. ''Believe me, I know how it feels when someone very dear to you is in danger and l you feel powerless to do anything. I know that it can feel maddening, like you could literally go crazy from feeling useless. But there was nothing you could have done, and if anything I'm proud that you are taking this as well as you are doing it right now'' Said Yugao, hoping that anything of what she said struck a cord with the tomboy.

Kurotsuchi seemed unsure of what to do or say, and for a moment it appeared that she wasn't going to add anything to the conversation until she spoke. ''It was hard indeed to stay put, but in the end I realized that this was the best I could do. I need to have faith and understand that I can't do everything and I have to trust the Hokage's judgment''

Yugao watched Kurotsuchi silently with an unreadable expression, action which made the Iwa girl feel a bit nervous.

''I see'' Said Yugao in the end before slowly standing up.

Kurotsuchi sighed in relief, glad that this conversation seemed to be over. But suddenly, Yugao grabbed the girl by her collar and dragged her to her feet forcing her to stand up and look at the ANBU straight in the eye.

''Who are you?'' Whispered Yugao dangerously as she stared coldly into the pink eyes of the tomboy while she poised a Kunai over her chest with her other hand.

''Wh-What?'' Responded Kurotsuchi, feigning ignorance.

''You aren't fooling me no more'' Said Yugao, tightening her grip on both the girl and her weapon. ''Kurotsuchi would not be here telling herself that there is nothing she could do to help Naruto, no, she would be here busting her head trying to think of something, anything to do. And more importantly, she would never take orders from the Hokage as readily as you are doing, she would at least complain that she had to obey. Who are you?!''

'Kurotsuchi' stared back impassively at the irate woman, still keeping his cool despite having being discovered. ''Yugao-San, I promise you that-''

''Shut up!'' Said Yugao. ''Who are you?!'' Demanded again the ANBU.

'Kurotsuchi' seemed to realize that it would be a bad idea to keep this up lest she ended up getting stabbed. So, the fake girl dispelled the illusion, her form vanishing in a puff of smoke as she turned into Sai, revealing that he had been using a Henge.

''Sai!?'' Exclaimed the confused Yugao. ''Why are you here and where is Kurotsuchi?!''

''Kurotsuchi wanted my help'' Said the boy plainly with a serious face as always.

''What did you do?'' Asked Yugao coldly. ''And how did you fool my sensory skills?'' It was one thing for Sai to disguise himself as Kurotsuchi, but disguising Chakra signatures wasn't that easy.

Sai was reluctant to answer at first but he quickly realized that it was useless to keep hiding his intentions. ''Kurotsuchi-San said that she needed to get out of the village but she would never be allowed to go. So she concluded that if that was the case she would have to go out as someone else'' Explained the ROOT member before he pulled up his shirt, revealing a weird seal tag on his stomach. ''I sealed some of Kurotsuchi-San's chakra in this seal while I suppressed mine as best as I could. that way I could mask my chakra signature for her's at least temporarily''

At least that explained how they managed to fool Yugao's sensory skills. Nevertheless, Yugao decided to focus on a specific part of Sai's statement ''She got out as someone else?'' Repeated Yugao before a look of realization hit her. When Kurotsuchi entered Sai's apartment she did it so the ANBU guarding her would not realize she and Sai had traded places! Rage invaded her gaze as she stared at Sai. ''You are idiots! How could you let her talk you into this?!''

''I wanted to help Naruto, and Kurotsuchi-San too. They are my friends and I owe them a lot. That's all I can say'' Explained Sai.

''You do know that you helped a prisoner escape custody and slip out of the village right?!'' Said Yugao. ''You could get me, you, and her throw into prison for your stupidity. What do you have to say in your defense?''

Say just stared back silently for a few seconds before responding her. ''I think Kurotsuchi-San is lucky to have a friend like you, Yugao-San. I didn't know you had a soft side'' Said Sai with a smile.

Yugao gritted her teeth in anger as a blush spread across her cheeks. It was bad enough that she let Kurotsuchi escape, but she had also poured her heart out to Sai of all people thinking he was Kurotsuchi. She was so angry she was tempted to leave the idiot boy into a bloody mess, but in the end she decided it wasn't worth it and just settled for pushing Sai away from her. ''I should have stabbed you anyway for this''

Sai just rubbed his neck but decided against responding, knowing that whatever he said wasn't going to calm the woman down.

''Stupid girl'' Muttered Yugao. The Hokage was going to have her and her entire ANBU squad's ass for this. _''Now you better bring him back''_

-Somewhere in The Land of Fire-

''They can't be far'' Said Kakashi as he jumped from a tree to another with Sakura and 'Sai' right behind him. They had already found signs of a battle just a few minutes ago, it was hard to miss a part of the forest had been completely destroyed and left a large crater, a trace from Naruto's Rasenshuriken no doubt. The logical place for the Akatsuki to go was to get out of the Land of Fire and this was the shortest way to the border. If they were quick they might be able to catch up to the Akatsuki in about a day.

''What's our plan for when we find them, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked Sakura. They have been traveling at full speed and they would not stop any time soon, so they aren't exactly going to be fresh when they catch up to the Akatsuki.

''We aren't sure who we are up against, in the state Kotetsu arrived we couldn't get a lot of information out of him, only that they were ambushed by the Akatsuki and that Naruto managed to take on one by himself'' Said Kakashi. ''So we'll have to use a more general strategy: We hit hard and fast as soon as we make contact and hope that it gives us an opening to grab Naruto and get out. If that doesn't work, we fight to stall and hope that another team manages to catch up and support us''

''Understood'' Said Sakura obediently.

'Sai' Simply nodded. _''I'm coming for you, Naruto. Hold on''_ thought the disguised Kurotsuchi.

However, not even a couple of minutes later suddenly Kakashi widened his eyes in panic and quickly signaled everyone to stop.

''Down, now!'' Yelled Kakashi, prompting Sakura and 'Sai' to jump down from the tree branched together with Kakashi, just in time before a large and concentrated stream of water obliterated along with the tree tops.

Now that they knew that they were under attack, the Konoha squad members got into their battle stances.

''As expected of copy ninja Kakashi'' Said Kakuzu as he came out the back of a tree and stood in front of Team Seven. while Hidan came out from the other side.

''We didn't expect Konoha to get wind of us so soon. How annoying'' Said Hidan with a sneer. they had left Naruto safe and secure in a nearby cave while they set up traps in case they were being followed. Shame that Konoha already caught up to them before they could set any. That was fine by Hidan, he liked getting up close and personal when he bisected his enemies instead of placing booby traps.

 _''Those two again''_ thought Kakashi with narrowed eyes. He remembered them from when he found Naruto last time. On that occasion they had almost got him, so they came back to finish their work.

Sakura frowned at seeing these guys again. Last time she had just known that the one with the scythe was immortal, but surely both of them had bizarre abilities, so being on guard was the smart thing to do. She was going to sow them what happened when someone messed with her team!

'Sai' on the other hand, was livid with rage. Kurotsuchi could barely keep her rage under control that she almost saw red. Those assholes in front of her had not only tortured her for fun, but also were attempting to kill Naruto and take him away from her. Oh, how she was going to make them pay.

Hidan smirked cruelly before pulling the scythe strapped on his back, ready to fight. ''Let's see if you guys are more competent than the rest of the Konoha fucks we fought. The last one I killed, the Chunin, was especially pathetic'' Added the Jashinist.

Kakashi narrowed his eyes, suspecting already who he was talking about. ''Are you talking about Izumo?'' Asked the Sharingan user with a hard edge to his tone of voice.

Hidan's mocking laugh was all the answer they needed.

''Hidan'' Said Kakuzu, grabbing Hidan's attention.

''What do you want, Kakuzu?'' Asked the sadist.

''Go get the Jinchuuriki and take it to one of our hideouts out of the Land of Fire'' Said Kakuzu, confusing Hidan but making Kakashi widen his lone eye in worry as he was already suspecting what Kakuzu was doing.

''What? You must be kidding, I ain't running away from these cockroaches'' Complained Hidan as he eyes his partner in disbelief.

''Listen, idiot'' Said Kakuzu in irritation. ''Do you really think that they are the only squad from Konoha looking for us? There are going to be more and they will be looking for the Jinchuuriki. Fighting with them would just waste our time. I bet they don't even have the intention of winning, just buying time for help to arrive'' Finished Kakuzu.

Kakashi cursed under his breath. Kakuzu was smart.

''Like I'm scared of a bunch of weaklings. Let them come, I'll slaughter them all'' Said Hidan.

Kakuzu glared at his partner. He felt like he was talking to a stupid child sometimes. ''Go. Now'' Said Kakuzu with finality.

''Fine, fine. If it is so important to you I'll do it'' Said Hidan before turning to look at the Konoha shinobi. ''You are some lucky bastards, I can't stay to play with you. But thinking it over, Kakuzu is going to wipe the floor with you anyway, so maybe you aren't as lucky. Said Hidan before disappearing from sight, already fleeing from the place.

''I won't let you!'' Yelled 'Sai', rushing after Hidan.

''Don't go by yourself, Sai!'' Ordered Kakashi but fell on deaf ears.

''Fool'' Muttered Kakuzu as he extended an arm. After his body convulsed momentarily black tendrils sprouted from his hand along with a strange white mask. the mask opened his mouth and a large stream of water burst from its mouth, aiming for 'Sai'

The disguised Kurotsuchi saw the attack coming. She pressed her palm on the ground and an earth dome erected from it surrounding and shielding her.

The powerful water attack connected with the earth structure, destroying it in just a couple of seconds and crushing whatever was inside.

''Sai!'' Yelled Sakura in worry, fearing for the boy's safety.

However, when the water died down they saw a hole in the ground and no traces from Sai.

Then, several yards away, enough to bypass Kakuzu, Sai emerged from the ground and continued on his way to catch Hidan.

 _''Clever, but not clever enough''_ Thought Kakuzu before his arm shot from his body, connected by black tendrils, aiming to catch the fleeing 'Sai'

But before the attack got far, the sound of a thousand birds resonated through the forest and a hound made of lightning flanked the Akatsuki member, biting the black tendrils, cutting them and severing Kakuzu's arm before the beast dissipated.

Kakuzu turned to look again at the remaining Konoha ninjas, and he saw Kakashi with an extended hand, no doubt that was the source of the last attack.

''You are fighting us'' Informed Kakashi. He hadn't expected Sai to use earth Jutsus, but he wasn't complaining. He just hoped that the ROOT member was good enough to last against Hidan until help arrived.

''As you wish'' Said Kakuzu as the tendrils from his body connected to the ones from his sliced arm, putting them back into place as if nothing had happened.

Sakura groaned in exasperation. This was just great. One freak couldn't die and the other could regenerate from anything.

''Get ready, Sakura'' Ordered Kakashi, getting himself into a fighting stance. ''Don't let him get the drop on you''

''I got it'' Responded the medic. She had a feeling that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Hopefully Sai didn't get himself killed since he was going to face one by himself...

* * *

Hidan arrived at the cave where he and Kakuzu were keeping Naruto. The place was dark and it smelled of humid soil, but it didn't matter, it was a just temporary resting place.

''Kyuubi brat, wake up we are leaving'' Hidan's voice echoed as he entered the dark place. Naruto was all the way on the back and due to the darkness, only his shape could be made out with the naked eye.

Hidan had barely entered the cave when he was forced to jump further into it by parrying a sword slash aimed at the back of his head. The sadist pressed his scythe against the sword to find himself facing an enraged Sai.

''So you managed to get pass Kakuzu. He must be losing his touch'' Commented Hidan. ''Meh, this is your funeral. Unlike the Jinchuuriki I don't need you alive. Sucks to be you''

''Where is he?!'' Said the enraged 'Sai'. ''Answer me, you piece of shit!''

''Someone's angry'' Said the Akatsuki member. ''If you want him, try to get him!'' Then, as he blocked the sword, Hidan used the other end of his scythe and bashed 'Sai' in the face, pushing the Konoha Shinobi back a puff of smoke engulfed him, ending the Henge and revealing the boy to be Kurotsuchi.

Kurotsuchi hastily jumped back to avoid a slash from Hidan's weapon. Once when got enough distance she glared back at the Jashinist as she wiped some blood from her lip.

Hidan's look of surprise at seeing the boy be nothing but a transformation Jutsu quickly became one of amusement. ''Look who we have here! You missed me bitch?'' Taunted Sai. ''Sorry for not recognizing you earlier. You just don't look that much different from that other idiot, you are hideous like that''

In response, Kurotsuchi quickly went through some hand seals for her favorite technique. ''Yoton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu(Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)!'' Yelled the girl before shooting a large mass of the ash-like substance from her mouth.

Hidan saw the attack coming and easily evaded the projectile, In response, Kurotsuchi spat yet another mass of quicklime, only for it to be avoided again. ''I ain't falling for that again!'' mocked Hidan. He already knew that he could harden that stuff, he wasn't going to let himself get covered in that again.

Kurotsuchi didn't relent, but instead of continuing her barrage of quicklime, she rushed at the man with surprising speed, slashing with her sword in an attempt to decapitate him.

Still, Hidan parried the blow again before pushing back the girl to overwhelm her with a flurry of slashes from his scythe.

Kurotsuchi expertly stepped around the first couple of swings and parried the next ones, being very careful to not let a single of the three blades cut her. The exchange in a lethal dance of steel clashing against steel until the strength of the last blow was enough to send both Shinobi away from each other.

 _''This bitch has improved a little bit''_ thought Hidan with increasing annoyance as he stared at the girl in front of him, determination filled her eyes silently promising that she was going to make him pay. That look on her made the man angry, she actually had the audacity to think she was at his level. He would show her how wrong she was when Jashin-Sama tasted her blood! ''I'll squash you like the worthless filthy bug you are!''

Kurotsuchi saw Hidan rush her once again, he looked angrier than before. He brought down his weapon on her. She jumped back, avoiding the strike, but Hidan used his free hand to yank the chain attached to the scythe, throwing the weapon towards her. The attack had come fast and with no time to evade again, Kurotsuchi used her sword to push the scythe to the side. However, Hidan used the thrust from her party to spin the scythe by the chain in a three-sixty angle motion.

Kurotsuchi saw the blade rapidly making its way towards her from her flank, She took advantage of it by leaning under the swing ahs using this chance to rush at Hidan.

Hidan widened his eyes in panic when he saw his attack miss her completely and the girl quickly closing the distance between them. The Akatsuki member barely had time to jump back as the girl slashed at him with her sword.

Kurotsuchi clicked her tongue in frustration as the man landed several feet away from her. She had been so close to ending the fight but she hadn't been fast enough. If only that last slash had been a second faster the idiot would have been cut in half. Still, she could not deny that her training had worked, not only had her speed increased exponentially but her physical strength had too. Last time she faced this fucker he had swatted aside all her attacks like it was nothing, and now she could hold her ground. If the situation wasn't so urgent she might have taken a moment to congratulate herself...

* * *

Sakura rolled away from the tree she had been hiding at as a stream of concentrated water grinded it into splinters. She turned around to glare at a strange four-legged black beast made of dark tendrils that had a white mask as a head. After she and Kakashi had started fighting Kakuzu that strange beast emerged from the man's body and went off to fight Sakura by itself. The Akatsuki probably felt that splitting them up and keeping them from working together was more advantageous for him.

Sakura saw the beast opening its mouth in preparation for yet another attack. The medic rushed to the side, jumping at the last moment to avoid the stream of water. However, the beast readied another attack and held off from shooting it until Sakura touched ground, at which point the monster fired at her.

Sakura panicked when she saw it, she would not be able to dodge, not when she had just landed. So with a bit of quick thinking she threw a mighty punch to the ground below her, causing large rocks to erect around her, forming a makeshift shield from the water. Still, the rocks just served to absorb a portion of the stream's force as the water pulverized the rocks and hit Sakura directly.

The pink-haired girl gave a pained yell as she was sent flying from the force of the attack and hit a tree.

The thread monster aimed directly at Sakura before another large stream of water shot from its mouth.

Sakura knew that she wouldn't be able to dodge this one, not after the blow she just received. She closed her eyes, ready to endure the attack when a thick wall of earth with carvings of dog faces emerged from the ground in front of her. The wall proved to be much stronger than Sakura's previous improvisation as it took the entirety of the stream without breaking down. A moment later the sound of the chirping of a thousand birds filled the clearing as Kakashi appeared from the forest, hand coated in lighting, before slamming his Raikiri into the beast's face, shattering the mask causing the monster to elicit a dying scream before it went limp.

Sakura sighed in relief at the sight of her Sensei. At the very least he looked unharmed aside from a cut on his cheek.

Kakashi turned to look at Sakura with concern. ''Sakura, are you okay?''

''I will be'' Said the medic as she stood up with a bit of difficulty from the pain of the last blow. ''Where is Kakuzu?''

''Right Here'' Said the Akatsuki member as he came out from the same direction that Kakashi had come. But now, he had an enormous mass of black tendrils coming from everywhere on his body, including his mouth. ''You thought you could just ditch me, Kakashi? What, can't your brat fend for herself?''

Kakashi stared silently at Kakuzu in worry. This was bad, in a direct fight Sakura would be almost useless against Kakuzu. Sakura had to get close to do ay real damage, and Kakuzu would skewer her with his sharp tendrils as soon as she got close to him. Kakashi had to think of a way for both of them to work together against Kakuzu or they would not be able to beat him. But if he saw Sakura coming it was all over for her...Wait, that was it! What if he couldn't see her coming?

''Sakura, I have a plan'' muttered Kakashi, grabbing Sakura's attention.

The medic turned to stare at her Sensei with puzzlement. ''What do you mean, Sensei?''

''Just follow my lead'' Said Kakashi simply.

Kakuzu had had enough, he wasn't going to let them formulate a strategy. He yelled violently as he extended his arms causing more black tendrils to rush at Kakashi and Sakura to impale them.

Kakashi grabbed Sakura and quickly did a body flicker, taking he and his student out of harm's way.

Kakuzu glared as his attack only destroyed a tree instead of the Konoha Shinobi.

''Kirigakure no Jutsu( Hiding in Mist technique)!''

Kakuzu turned around trying to find the source of Kakashi's voice, but he never could as a thick layer of mist engulfed the area. So Kakashi was using the mist as cover? clever, it would buy him some time but it would be useless in the end. Kakuzu only had to keep quiet and listen to his surroundings.

Suddenly, the sound grass rustling grabbed the Akatsuki's attention.''There you are!'' Yelled Kakuzu suddenly, Stretching his arm and shooting even more tendrils in a random direction. The man grunted in annoyance as he could tell he had missed, but he couldn't dwell on that for much longer as two more hounds made of lightning came out from the mist positioned at both left and right sides of Kakuzu.

The criminal rapidly impaled one of them with the threads in on of his hands while he ducked under the other one's attack, then he used his other arm to impale the remaining beast. However, the sound of chirping of birds started again and Kakuzu was quick to notice that the sound came just from above him. Kakuzu used both his hands and raised them upwards shooting a large number of tendrils, the Akatsuki member was just able to see a pained Kakashi being pierced by his attack, only for the man to disappear in a cloud of smoke and a log took his place.

''Shannaro!''

Then, a shockingly powerful blow caught Kakuzu by the back of the head and sent him flying through the forest. the force of the punch had been so strong that he was even sent outside the area of the mist. The blow had left him disoriented for a few seconds as he laid on the grass with an aching head. he had been too busy fending off the attacks of Hatake to notice the girl creeping on him.

''Kamui!'' Said Kakashi as soon as he saw Kakuzu land in a clearing in front of him, just as he had planned. He wouldn't waste any time to let the dangerous criminal get his bearings.

Kakuzu yelled in pain when he noticed a strange sensation in his chest. _''What is this?!''_ Thought the man as part of his torso started being sucked into a black hole-like vortex. He extended his right arm, using the strings to impale the ground beside him and pull himself towards it.

Kakashi saw this and focused eve more Chakra on his Sharingan, making the Kamui stronger and not letting Kakuzu escape.

Kakuzu realized that he wasn't getting out of this. He used his last moments to curse the Konoha brats for killing him, to curse himself for losing to them, and more importantly to curse the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki for leaving him so weakened to lose to these amateurs. The ancient man yelled in pain as a big chunk of his chest was absorbed into the void, taking his last heart away and dying instantly.

Kakashi contemplated Kakuzu's motionless body before sighing in relief. They had just faced an Akatsuki and won, that was always something to be proud of.

''Kakashi-Sensei!'' Said Sakura as she arrived at the clearing, landing just beside the Sharingan user. ''Are you alright?!''

''I'm fine, Sakura'' Said Kakashi. ''That last show of teamwork did the trick. Good job, by the way''

''I'm glad'' Said Sakura with a grateful smile before turning to look at Kakuzu's body with concern. ''Is he really dead?''

''It seems that way'' Said Kakashi.

''Thank goodness'' Said Sakura. ''We are lucky, it seems this one wasn't as strong as the others'' Commented the medic. She remembered How strong Itachi and Sasori had been, and while Kakuzu wasn't a pushover he didn't feel quite at the level of the others.

''He didn't seem to be at full capacity when we fought him'' Commented Kakashi.

''What do you mean by that, Kakashi-Sensei?'' Asked Sakura with a raised eyebrow.

''His movements were strangely sluggish for someone of Kakuzu's caliber'' Said Kakashi. ''Also, his Jutsu arsenal was lacking. I feel that he wasn't able to use his full power'' Kakashi had fought enough people to have an instinct for battles and he could read his opponents really well, and in all the time they had been fighting Kakuzu it felt like something was missing.

''Still, whatever the case I'm glad that we pulled through'' Said Sakura.

''It's not over yet, we have to help Sai first and get Naruto back'' Said Kakashi. ''Let's go!''

''Right!'' Agreed Sakura and both of them were off.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hidan gritted his teeth as he held his abdomen with one hand as a small stream of blood poured from a wound in his stomach and pooled underneath him. The girl had managed to hurt him! That pathetic rat had actually managed to land a hit while he had not. He focused his gaze once more on the girl in front of him as an intense anger filled him. He pulled the chain in his other hand, retrieving his scythe as he vowed to skin the bitch alive.

''What's wrong? I thought you said you were going to squash me like a bug'' Mocked the girl.

''Now you have really pissed me off, you fucking whore!'' Yelled Hidan as he stepped on his pool of blood, using it to draw a circle around him with a triangle inside. Still, the only problem was that he needed to get a drop of blood from the girl, but that would be easy enough, he just had to find a way to make her screw up.

Kurotsuchi could not help but smirk in satisfaction. She had already seen how that technique worked, she wasn't stupid, she knew that the fucker needed a drop of her blood for his weird Jutsu to work and he didn't have jack.

Then, a certain sound grabbed Kurotsuchi's attention, she couldn't recognize what it was at first but after paying more attention she could tell that it sounded like pained groans. Kurotsuchi scanned the cave, trying to find the source of the noise until att the very end of the place she could make out the familiar figure of Naruto, if just barely.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in panic and concern once she realized that Naruto was indeed in the cave.

''Naruto, is that you?! I'm here, ca you hear me?!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi at the boy, but he didn't answer back. He had to be unconscious, but if that was the case he had to be in such pain that he still moaned in suffering, maybe even agonizing! She had to end this and fast.

Hidan noticed that the girl finally saw Naruto. He was about to curse his luck that she had found her target, but then an idea came to him. He smiled cruelly at his new strategy.

''You seem to care about the idiot'' Commented Hidan grabbing Kurotsuchi's attention. ''So guess what? For getting in my way I'm going to take out all my rage on that moron'' Said the madman, grabbing his scythe and a handful of Shurikens as he turned to Naruto.

Kurotsuchi watched in horror the weird action of the sadist, she realized what he intended to do. He would not be crazy enough to attack Naruto as he needed him alive, right? But then she saw Hidan throw the Shuriken at the blond and she rushed in panic to block the sharp tools. Her improved speed barely managed to get between Naruto and the projectiles in time to block most of them with her sword while a few buried themselves in her arms and legs. She shrieked in pain at the deep wounds in her limbs. But with Naruto so close to her she attempted to grab him and make a run for it, but as soon as she turned around to retrieve the blond she felt three more blades embed themselves on her back, eliciting a louder yell of agony. She fell to her knees as the scythe was yanked off from her back and into Hidan's hands.

Hidan laughed like a maniac at the girl's suffering. His plan had worked! The dumb bitch really left her guard down just to save the idiot. ''You retarded whore! You walked right into my trap!'' Yelled the Jashinist before licking the blood from his weapon, turning his skin black with a white pattern resembling a skeleton.

Kurotsuchi stood up with great effort, cursing under her breath as she turned around to face Hidan. She didn't have time to ponder on what had just happened as she rushed at the Akatsuki member, sword in her hand ready to strike him down.

Hidan saw the girl coming and knew that she had no choice but to try and reach him before he killed her. But it would be in vain, her speed had taken quite a hit from those Shuriken wounds and he had already a sharp metal rod in his hand, ready to strike his own heart and the girl's too. ''This is the end. Praise Jashin-Sama, bitch!''

Kurotsuchi was almost upon Hidan when she saw the crazy bastard bury his own weapon in his heart, all with a face of sadistic arousal.

Hidan smiled mockingly as the girl stopped her charge just a few yards in front of him, clasping her chest and lowering her face in pain. He started to laugh and bask in his victory when in the blink of an eye the girl resumed her rush and in a quick swipe, she beheaded him.

Hidan's face had already turned from glee to confusion before his head hit the ground. His skull rolled along the ground until he was left facing upwards and in just a moment he saw Kurotsuchi towering over him with disdain on her face but very much alive.

Hidan was at a loss for words for a moment before he found his voice again and pure wrath invaded him. ''This is not possible! How are you alive?!''

Instead of answering him, Kurotsuchi kicked his head towards his body. It rolled painfully until Hidan had a good look of his own corpse, and what caught his attention was the blood circle he had drawn, the one he had been standing over, completely distorted! How wat it possible? How had the girl ruined its shape?

As Hidan wondered hos Kurotsuchi had gotten the best of him, said girl grabbed the man's scythe and slammed it down on Hidan's head, the blades going through his skull and pinned it down to the cave's floor, causing the madman's yells to fill the cave.

Kurotsuchi glared down at the remains of the man with content. ''You are the one who fell into my trap, asshole'' Earlier, when she had spat hew quicklime, Hidan didn't realize that it wasn't quicklime what she had used, but ash. Then she had slowly and sneakily coated almost the entirety of the cave's floor with it, forming a layer of hardened ash, ash that she could still control. After the moron had drawn his strange symbol on the ash, Kurotsuchi simply scrambled the ash under the circle messing its shape when he hadn't been paying attention.

She really wished that she could take her time skinning the fucker alive, but getting Naruto safe and sound to Konoha was way more important. And now that she remembered the object of her affections, Kurotsuchi turned around to rush at the blond still sitting in the back of the cave.

As soon as she crawled in front of the blood to check on him, Kurotsuchi brought a hand to her mouth in horror. The boy was unconscious, his jacket had been ripped open to reveal his chest covered in deep cuts just like his face. Also, he was caked in dirt and blood and squirmed in pain from time to time.

''Oh my god, Naruto'' Muttered the concerned girl with glassy eyes. Had she accepted to come with him this may not have happened, this was her fault. But this was not the time to be blaming herself, there would be plenty of time for that later, right now she had to get him out of there. So, with great care and tenderness, she took the boy in her arms, ignoring the pain of her own wounds as she stood up. She made her way to the exit of the cave, all while giving looks full of guilt to Naruto and ignoring Hidan's profanities being directed at her.

Once she made her way outside, both Kakashi and Sakura landed right in front of her. They both seemed surprised to see her while she just eyed them calmly.

''Took you guys long enough'' Said Kurotsuchi plainly.

Sakura's questions regarding Kurotsuchi's presence had to be put on hold when she saw the state that Naruto was in. Instead, she went over to Kurotsuchi and made her put Naruto on the ground before she went to check on him. ''I'm sorry we weren't here earlier, Naruto'' Said Sakura as she passed a Chakra coated hand over him. ''I promise I'll make it up to you''

''How is he?'' Asked Kakashi with worry.

''He has several lacerations and I think he also has a couple of fractured ribs'' Said Sakura as she continued to both heal and examine her teammate. ''Thank God for the Kyuubi's healing or this could have killed him long ago'' Concluded the medic with a lump in her throat. Luckily, due to the Kyuubi's insane regenerating factor, Naruto would most likely only need a couple of days at most at the hospital to be up and running again, but that didn't make seeing him like this easier.

''But he will be fine, right? You can heal him, right?'' Asked Kurotsuchi at the border of desperation.

''I will stabilize him, but after that we should take him to Konoha as soon as possible. But yes, he will be fine in the end'' Said Sakura much to Kurotsuchi's relief. ''Where is Sai, we have to go as soon as possible'' Added the pink-haired girl, remembering their last team member.

Kakashi already suspected what was going on, but let Kurotsuchi answer.

''He never came'' Admitted Kurotsuchi. ''I made him trade places with me without anyone knowing''

A look of realization hit Sakura before she nodded in understanding. ''I see'' Said the medic as she continued to heal Naruto. She didn't feel like berating Kurotsuchi for what she did, even if she had gone against her orders she couldn't really fault her for wanting to help Naruto. Also, the Iwa girl was already going to get in enough trouble when they got back without Sakura making things hard for Kurotsuchi already.

''I'm sure you already realize that what you just did by coming here could have serious repercussions back in Konoha, so I will spare you the lecture'' Said Kakashi to Kurotsuchi. ''Personally, I'm glad that you helped us in getting Naruto back, but please try to at least tell us about it in the future'' Kakashi already knew that Kurotsuchi was a good girl despite being from Iwa, and he didn't doubt that her intentions were good but this had been a risky move, having at least consulted her concerns with them would have been more preferable.

''I'm glad, but there is no need for thanks. I did this because I wanted to help Naruto just as much as you'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''If the price to pay for naruto's safety is the Hokage using me as her personal punching bag so be it''

''If it helps you feel any better, I'll try to speak on your behalf with the Hokage, but that might not help you. But I'll still try'' Said Kakashi. He knew that disobeying direct orders from the Hokage was playing with fire, but he could hardly be angry at the girl if it was to help Naruto.

''Thanks'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''By the way, what happened to the other Akatsuki?'' Asked Kakashi.

Kurotsuchi signaled the cave behind her with her thumb before responding. ''beheaded and rotting in there''

Kakashi was surprised to see that she had handled Hidan by herself. She was certainly a prodigy. ''Still, we should think of a more permanent way to deal with him'' If he was really immortal what was stopping any of his comrades to come look for him and reattach his head?

''I already thought about that'' Said Kurotsuchi before she made some hand seals and smashed her palms against the ground. After a moment, both Shinobi watched at the cave behind them started falling apart until it collapsed on itself, burying forever anyone and anything inside of it.

''Good thinking'' Said Kakashi before he faces the girl again. ''Now we should get those wounds of yours patched up''

''It's fine. I'll tend to them later. Just focus on Naruto'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I had a feeling you would say that, but okay'' Responded Kakashi. ''Just don't overdo it''

Kurotsuchi nodded before she went back to glance at the still form of Naruto laying before Sakura. She had done it. She managed to get Naruto back from the Akatsuki's clutches. No matter what the Hokage had in store for her once she found out what she had done, she would face it with her head high, as Naruto always did in the face of danger. Knowing that Naruto was safe was enough for her, so whatever happened to her when she went back she could at least rest easy that had been true to her heart. All that she asked was to talk to Naruto again.

 **Author's note:**

 **I know I have been gone for a while but at least I hope the chapter's length can kinda make up for that. I hope. One thing I hate whenever I disappear for long is that whenever I come back I feel rusty as hell and this time is no exception, I'm always second guessing everything I put into words in a story and it just makes me progress slower which in turn makes me even rustier. sigh.**

 **Anyway, I'm excited for what comes next, I have a lot of plans for the next arc now that we are done with this one! I promise it will be good. Now I wish I can do it faster next time...**

 **And as always, please review or PM if you have the chance! I have been very busy lately and I haven't been able to answer every single PM but I do promise that I read them all. See you guys later.**


	32. Chapter 32: A Heart To Heart

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto** **.The author of the cover image is indy-riquez from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 32: A Heart To Heart

The Hokage's footsteps thundered through the hall of the last hospital floor as Tsunade made her way to a particular room in a hurry. She had just gotten word that Team Seven had arrived with Naruto. Apparently, the mission had been a success but Naruto was in bad shape so he had been sent here to Konoha's main hospital as soon as he arrived. Still, Tsunade wanted to confirm Naruto's status herself.

The Sannin turned a corner and made her way to the first door on the right, ignoring a nervous Yugao guarding the entrance before she went in. Inside the room, Tsunade found Team Seven along with the Iwa girl, all gathered around Naruto's bed while Sakura and a couple of nurses were treating the unconscious boy.

All the people present turned to look at their leader as soon as she entered the hospital room. Kurotsuchi and Sai were expecting some kind of reprimand right away, but instead, Tsunade ignored them and went over to Naruto at once.

''Sakura, how is he?!'' Asked Tsunade with urgency.

Sakura passed her glowing hand back and forth over Naruto's body as she answered. ''We have stabilized him, Tsunade-Shishou. He just needs plenty of rest''

Nevertheless, Tsunade didn't seem convinced. ''Out of the way'' Ordered the Sannin as she pushed her student and the two other nurses away before she also coated her hand with Chakra to scan over Naruto's body with it just as Sakura had been doing.

For the next couple of minutes, everyone stared silently at the Hokage while she kept checking Naruto over with a frown, deep in focus.

Finally, Tsunade let out a sigh of relief after she confirmed that Naruto was indeed fine now, save for how dirty he was. She would have never forgiven herself if Naruto had died because of an oversight she made. ''Keep him under observation just to make sure nothing bad happens to him'' Said Tsunade to the nurses. Tsunade wished that she could stay all day herself with the boy but she still she had some other matters to attend to now that the most urgent task was done.

After that, Tsunade turned to look at Kurotsuchi, who had been standing silently watching Naruto's treatment anxiously.

The Hokage shot the girl an icy glare as she slowly walked to her. ''I believe I told you that you weren't allowed to go on the mission''

''You did say that, yes'' Said Kurotsuchi calmly, not letting herself be intimidated by the Hokage but also trying to not sound or act insolently.

''Then, why have I been informed that you arrived at the village gates with Team Seven, and without the ANBU I assigned to keep an eye on you no less?'' Questioned Tsunade with a murderous edge in her voice. Glaring straight into Kurotsuchi's pink eyes.

The tomboy seemed to think carefully what she was about to say, but in the end she settled for taking a deep breath before answering truthfully. ''That's because...because I disobeyed and went with them anyway'' Kurotsuchi wasn't going to bullshit her way out of this. Lying would make things worse for her.

Tsunade gave the girl an incredulous look. The nerve of the girl to say so uncaringly to her face that she deliberately ignored her orders. She was a prisoner from their nation's worst enemy. Tsunade wasn't going to tolerate the girl acting like she owned the place! The Hokage's eyes lit up in fury and she was about to explode when someone else spoke up.

''It's my fault too, Hokage-Sama''

Everyone turned to look at Sai in surprise.

''Say what?'' Asked Tsunade dangerously.

''I'm the one who exchanged places with Kurotsuchi-San so she could go'' Said Sai. ''Please, if you are going to blame someone for this blame me''

Kurotsuchi looked at Sai in astonishment, she had never expected him to try and fault himself in her stead. Sakura apparently had similar thoughts considering the look she was giving the boy too.

Tsunade turned her chilly gaze to Sai. ''I knew that we couldn't trust Danzo's men. Fine, if you so wish you can share a cell with the girl'' If Danzo wanted his toy back he would have to go pick him up himself.

''Please, Tsunade-Shishou reconsider!'' Said Sakura. ''I'm sure that Kurotsuchi-San did what she did because she was worried for-''

''Quiet!'' Thundered Tsunade, Shutting the pinkette up. ''I didn't ask for your opinion, Sakura'' She couldn't believe that Sakura of all people was talking back to her. Tsunade was normally very lenient with her Shinobi but she wouldn't tolerate them blatantly disobeying orders, and as far as the Iwa girl is concerned Tsunade had already been overly generous to her. Kurotsuchi should have thought twice about the consequences of her actions before throwing Tsunade's and Konoha's hospitality into the trash.

''If I may, Hogake-Sama'' Interrupted Kakashi. ''Kurotsuchi was of great help in the mission. She is the one who retrieved Naruto and killed an Akatsuki member single-handedly''

''You too, Kakashi?'' Asked Tsunade in shock. ''Don't tell me you are going to defend her too''

''She could have used her stunt to escape, but not only did she not, but she also risked her life to bring Naruto back'' Said Kakashi.

''So I should drop the issue just because she didn't run away at the first chance she got?'' Asked Tsunade incredulously.

''What I'm saying is that without Kurotsuchi's help Naruto wouldn't be here right now. With all due respect, I think that hurling her into a cell is a bit harsh considering her contributions'' Said Kakashi. ''So I ask, does the punishment fit the crime?''

Everyone stared at Kakashi in awe. It was strange to see him question authority.

Tsunade sighed in frustration as she massaged her temple. She couldn't just let the girl get away with this, but Kakashi did bring out good points. Incarcerating the girl for breaking the rules to help Naruto from a bad situation- a situation Tsunade put him in- seemed overly harsh. ''What am I going to do with you all?'' Muttered the Hokage. It seemed that Team Seven was dead set on making her grow white hairs.

''Hokage-Sama'' Said Kurotsuchi, at last, causing everyone to look at her. She was glad for Team Seven's help, she really was, but she had to try and get out of this herself. She didn't want Naruto to wake up to all his friends in a cell because of her.

''I know that you don't like me'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''And I would be lying if I said you were my favorite person in the world''

Tsunade frowned at the rather rude remark. The girl better be getting somewhere with that comment or she was just making things worse for herself.

''And you can doubt and call bullshit on everything I say'' Continued Kurotsuchi. ''But if there is just one thing that you can bet anything that I'm being truthful is when I say that I care about Naruto. He has helped me more times than I can count, he is always there for me when I need him, even when I don't need him. He is the most selfless and kind person I now. He is wonderful''

Tsunade's face actually softened just a bit at Kurotsuchi's confession, but she still didn't know what Kurotsuchi was getting at.

''He is a friend to me, the best friend I've ever had in fact'' Kurotsuchi continued. ''I would do anything in my power to help him just as he has helped me. I would even risk my life. Yes, I disobeyed and I would do it again. I would do it as many times as necessary if it meant helping Naruto. If I end up rotting in a cell for this at least I know I did it for the right person'' Finished Kurotsuchi with a fierce look in her pink eyes, showing her determination.

Tsunade widened her eyes momentarily as she was reminded of someone as she looked at the girl: of herself. The manner in which Kurotsuchi spoke of Naruto, the way her eyes lit up as she praised him, and the unfaltering resolve as she stood by him. Tsunade was familiar with that, she had been the same way with...Dan.

Tsunade stared agape at the girl, her shock reflected in her eyes. This couldn't be, it wasn't possible...except that it was, it was entirely possible. It wasn't farfetched to think that Kurotsuchi and Naruto were in lo-...

Kurotsuchi and Team Seven looked at the Hokage in wonder. The Sannin just kept staring at the Iwa girl without not speaking a word and it was starting to get weird.

After several seconds, Tsunade shook her head as if to clear her mind. After that, she went back to stare hardly at Kurotsuchi, making the girl and Team Seven tense up in anticipation of the Hokage's verdict, and after that strange reaction of hers who knew what she would do.

Tsunade's gaze bore into Kurotsuchi's own, making the girl nervous but she still didn't back down.

The awkward silence continued for a bit before Tsunade finally broke it. ''You really are insolent'' commented Tsunade, looking at Kurotsuchi straight in the eye.

Finally, the Hokage gave a deep sigh. ''Let me know when Naruto wakes up. I'll be in my office'' Said Tsunade.

The rest of the people present looked at the Hokage with incredulity. That wasn't what they had expected to hear.

Kurotsuchi wasn't satisfied with that answer. ''So, does this mean that-''

''It means...'' Interrupted Tsunade. ''That you are safe. For now. But this is the last time I tolerate something like this''

Kurotsuchi felt relief wash over her. She was ready to go to jail for Naruto but it was good to know that she wouldn't have to talk to him again through prison bars.

''However, you and I need to have a talk, girl'' Said Tsunade.

Kurotsuchi frowned. A talk? she wondered was was it about.

''But that will be later. I can't deal with this crap right now'' Added Tsunade as she massaged her temple yet again. Then she turned around and was on her way out when she glanced back at them once more. ''Good job in bringing NAruto back'' Finished the Hokage before she left.

Yugao saw the Hokage come out of the hospital room before she went over to her leader at once to try and explain herself. ''Hokage-Sama, I'm sorry about the girl. I should have been more careful and not fall for her tricks. I'll accept any punishment you-''

Yugao was silenced by a hand motion from the Hokage, telling her that it was enough. The ANBU woman stared nerve-wrecked at the Sannin as Tsunade directed her gaze at her.

''Lose the girl again and I'll not just demote you and your entire squad, but you'll be doing D-ranks for life too'' Said Tsunade.

Yugao rapidly got on one knee in respect to the village leader. ''Of course, Hokage-Sama. I'll not fail you this time''

Tsunade simply nodded at the ANBU before walking away without another word, leaving Yugao to wonder what was wrong with the Hokage.

 _''I need a drink. Or ten''_ thought Tsunade as she made her way out of the hospital. She didn't think she would get much work done today.

Back in the room, Kurotsuchi and the rest of Team Seven didn't know what to think of the Hokage's reaction, it certainly hadn't been standard.

Now that they were done with that, Kurotsuchi turned to look at Team Seven.

''What were you guys thinking?!'' Asked the exalted Kurotsuchi, catching everyone else by off-guard.

''What is it?'' Asked Sai.

''Why did you guys take the blame with me?!'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''That was stupid!'' What would Naruto have thought if he had woken up just to find his entire team screwed because of her?

''Shinobi who break the rules are trash, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than trash'' Said Kakashi reassuringly. After seeing his Team working together to help a comrade he couldn't just stand by without doing something.

Kurotsuchi seemed surprised to hear that. ''You really consider me a comrade?''

''Of course'' Said Sakura with a smile. ''You might not be from Konoha, but you are a member of Team Seven, at least to us''

''Just as Sakura-San says'' Added Sai. ''As a team, we have to look out for one another''

Kurotsuchi stared in wonder at Team Seven while they smiled at her. Soon, Kurotsuchi found herself returning their smile. ''Stupid Konoha ninjas'' Muttered Kurotsuchi jokingly under her breath. Yeah, they might be Konoha Shinobi, but they were her friends, that was clear now to Kurotsuchi. It seemed that Naruto wasn't the only good thing she had found while she was tangled in this political mess.

''Well, I think I better get going'' Said Kakashi. ''I still have to write the report of our mission''

''Let me help'' Said Sai. ''After all, I haven't contributed anything to the mission. The least I can do is help with the paperwork''

''Thank you Sai, I appreciate it'' Said Kakashi. ''Then, we'll see you girls around'' Finished Kakashi as he and Sai left with a wave of their hand.

''Farewell, guys'' Sakura waved back.

''See you around'' Said Kurotsuchi.

And with that, both Kakashi and Sai left the room.

Now that they were left alone, Sakura addressed Kurotsuchi. ''Well, I'm staying. I already work at the hospital when I'm not on missions. So I better keep an eye on Naruto from time to time while I'm here''

Kurotsuchi nodded in understanding. ''By the way, Sakura''

Sakura raised an eyebrow at Kurotsuchi. ''Yes?''

''Can I...stay here with Naruto?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with a slight blush on her cheeks.

Sakura smiled at the tomboy. It was sweet that she wanted to stay with him. Sakura was sure that it would mean a lot to Naruto. ''Of course. You can stay by his side. Tell me if anything is wrong''

''Thanks, Sakura'' Said Kurotsuchi gratefully.

The pink-haired medic shot Kurotsuchi one last friendly smile before she walked out of the room, probably to get more serum for Naruto.

With Sakura gone, Kurotsuchi was left alone in the room with the boy. After that, she went over to Naruto's bed. She grabbed a nearby chair and placed it just beside the blond before she sat down.

Kurotsuchi watched Naruto sleep peacefully, and despite being happy that he was back safe and sound, she still couldn't help but feel guilty that he had gotten hurt in the first place.

She leaned towards Naruto, slowly using the back of her gloved hand to brush off a stray hair from Naruto's forehead. ''I'm sorry'' whispered the girl as she proceeded to caress his cheek tenderly. She knew that the right thing to do was to distance herself from him, for their villages sakes, but now she realized that she couldn't, she simply couldn't ignore these feelings, she had tried and it didn't work. If her village didn't like it, fine, she simply wouldn't let them find out. At the end of the day it was her business and her business alone who she was in love with.

She would always love her village, but it was unfair that they got to say who she could and couldn't love. All her life she had done what her village had wanted her to do and she had done it without a second thought, but now It was time to do what her heart told her to do even if her people didn't approve, she had earned it as far as she was concerned.

She contemplated the sleeping boy in front of her and she grasped his hand with her own as she promised that she would make things right.

 _''I won't leave your side again, Naruto''_

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes to face a white roof above him. Considering the strong smell of cleaning products, so strong that almost burned his nose, and the white room he was in, he concluded that he was in the hospital.

 _''How did I get here?''_ Wondered the blond silently. The last thing he remembered was that sadistic asshole using him as target practice.

With a groan, he sat up straight. He still felt sore but luckily almost all his wounds seemed to have closed. Also, he noted that the nurses had to have cleaned him up since the last time he had been conscious he was covered in blood and now his skin was spotless.

He inspected himself to find that he was wearing a blue T-shirt and he lifted the covers to see that he had blue shorts on. At least he was completely covered up, which was good.

Then, Naruto widened his eyes in shock as he finally noticed that he wasn't alone. Kurotsuchi was asleep beside him, her torso slung on the edge of the mattress while she sat on a chair at the side of the bed. She was resting her head on her arms as she snored lightly.

Naruto was frozen at finding Kurotsuchi with him. She had been avoiding him for a while now, and to find her at his side was a surprise, a pleasant one, but a surprise nonetheless.

Naruto smiled warmly at the figure of the sleeping girl. How he had missed her. He wasn't sure if she was over whatever got her mad at him in the first place but he hoped that she being with him right now was a good signal. But even if she hadn't forgiven him he would do everything he could to fix things between them. After realizing what he felt for her he vowed to be with her and make her happy. It was pathetic that it had taken a near-death experience to realize how he really felt about this girl, but now that he did he was going to enjoy every moment with her.

After a couple of minutes, Naruto finally decided that Kurotsuchi looked rather uncomfortable sleeping like that, so he slowly put his hand on her back and shook her gently.

Kurotsuchi stirred slightly before she opened her eyes. She sat up and rubbed her face before her eyes fell on Naruto and a wide grin plastered on her face.

''Naruto, you are awake!'' Exclaimed the girl in joy.

''Yep! I'm up and-oof!'' Naruto was interrupted as the girl enveloped him into a tight hug. ''Kurotsuchi...I'm still...ouch...sore...''

''sorry!'' Said Kurotsuchi flustered as she let go of the blond.

''No problem. I'm happy to see you too'' Said Naruto with a smile.

''Here. Drink'' Said Kurotsuchi as she poured him a glass of water before handing it to him.

''Thanks'' Responded the blond as he proceeded to gulp the liquid down. He gave a satisfied sigh, he had been thirsty as hell.

''How are you feeling?'' Asked Kurotsuchi with concern.

''Better than before that's for sure. Those bastards were sadists'' Said Naruto before he widened his eyes at remembering the Akatsuki. ''that's right! What happened to those assholes?!''

''They are dead. Good riddance'' Said Kurotsuchi with contempt.

''Dead? How?'' Asked Naruto. They had been strong, he didn't want to think of any more of his friends dying trying to save him.

''We tracked them down'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''We fought them. Honestly, it's a pretty long story. I'll tell you the details later''

''But, were you guys hurt? Were you hurt?!'' Asked Naruto in worry.

''We are fine. We just got a few flesh wounds, that's all'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Sakura already took care of them''

''I'm glad'' Said Naruto. He didn't want his friends getting hurt because of him. But then, he put on a solemn expression, as he remembered someone else. ''What about Izumo and Kotetsu?''

Kurotsuchi also displayed a sad look at the mention of the two Chunin that accompanied Naruto. ''I don't know the guys so I can only tell you what I've heard. As I know, Kotetsu is being taken care of. He is in critical condition but he is alive. Izumo on the other hand...''

Kurotsuchi's silence told Naruto all he needed to know. ''Damn it!'' Muttered the blond angrily. He had seen Izumo get stabbed in the neck, but he still had a small hope that he had somehow made it. And that was without taking into account the fire monks. If the Akatsuki weren't targeting him all those people would still be alive. ''It's because of me''

''Don't even think of blaming yourself, Naruto'' Said Kurotsuchi, already knowing where this was going.

''But if they hadn't been with me they wouldn't be...''

''This is not your fault'' Repeated Kurotsuchi. She grabbed her chair and placed it closer to the head of the bed so she could sit at eye level with Naruto. ''They attacked my home too, remember? They hurt everyone they get their hands on. Those Akatsuki fucks are the ones to blame for everything, no one else''

Naruto nodded solemnly, that was true. The Akatsuki were the ones that decided who would get hurt in the accomplishment of their goal, whatever those were, but that still didn't make Naruto feel a whole lot better, people still died and nothing was going to change that.

Kurotsuchi frowned, typical of Naruto to feel responsible for anything he could. But she couldn't blame him, she would do the same in his place, probably. She decided that it was best to distract Naruto from the topic altogether. ''If it makes you feel better, we really kicked those guys to hell and back''

''Really?'' Asked Naruto, a bit curious to know a bit more of their fight with the Akatsuki.

''Oh yes, that scythe-wielding bastard is going to need more than just his immortality to put himself together, and that's if he manages to get out of that collapsed cave'' Said Kurotsuchi smugly.

''What? Don't tell me that you beat him by yourself'' Asked a surprised Naruto.

''Why so surprised?'' Said Kurotsuchi with a proud smile. ''Of course I did it myself. That's what he gets for messing with my little knucklehead. Only I can beat your ass'' Finished the girl with a friendly smile as she put her hand over Naruto's own.

Naruto beamed at the girl. He felt very privileged that she considered him that important to her, and she had managed to lift his spirits to boot just like only she knew how to. Whenever he was with her he felt like everything was right in the world.

He stared back at those beautiful pink eyes glancing warmly at him. He didn't know why it had taken him so long to realize what he felt for her, but now that he did he wasn't going to lose her again, that was a promise of a lifetime.

Kurotsuchi noticed Naruto eyeing her with such tenderness that it was starting to make her feel butterflies in her stomach. She blushed slightly before giving him a small timid smile, something very uncharacteristic of her. ''What is it?'' She asked tentatively.

Naruto kept smiling at her. ''I missed this, being with you I mean''

Kurotsuchi's blush got even brighter, but then her expression got melancholic when she remembered that the reason they haven't shared a moment like this in a long time was because she didn't allow them to have one. ''Naruto. I wanted to let you know that I'm sorry about before, about avoiding you. You deserve to know why I did what I did''

Naruto looked at her in impassively before he gave her a smile. ''Don't worry about it, that's-''

''Please let me finish. I need to tell you this'' Interrupted Kurotsuchi, getting a nod from Naruto.

Kurotsuchi took a deep breath before continuing. ''First, I want you to know that it wasn't your fault. I thought that we were getting too close, and as you know that could cause trouble since you are the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki and I'm the Tsuchikage's granddaughter. Our villages wouldn't want us getting too friendly''

''So, you did it because you didn't want our friendship to heat things up between our homes?'' Asked Naruto, tilting his head in curiosity.

''Yeah, at least that's what I told myself. If I'm being honest that's only part of it'' Admitted Kurotsuchi. ''The truth is that I think I was afraid''

''Afraid?'' Repeated Naruto. ''Afraid of what?''

''I was afraid...'' Then, Kurotsuchi steeled herself and looked at Naruto in the eye. ''Of how I felt for you''

Naruto widened his eyes in shock. Of how she felt for him? Did that mean what he thought it meant?

''When I'm with you I feel like I can do anything I set myself to do as long as you support me, like no matter what happens everything will be alright. I feel safe'' Said Kurotsuchi as her eyes bore into Naruto's own. She wanted him to see into her soul, to see that she was true. ''But I was also showing you a part of me that I've never shown anyone else. It was like being emotionally naked. It made me feel vulnerable. I'm not used to putting myself into a position that made it easy for me to get hurt. I was scared of all these weird feelings that I've never felt before. So I told myself that I had to separate myself from you for my village's sake. But the truth is that I was terrified of feeling vulnerable, I was scared of getting hurt''

Naruto's eyes softened at hearing that. ''I wouldn't hurt you, you know that''

''I know that you wouldn't hurt me. Not on purpose. But when you are this close to someone is just a matter of time until someone hurts the other'' Said Kurotsuchi firmly. ''But you know what? It doesn't matter. Being close to someone means sharing painful moments not just good ones, but it's all so worth it when it is with the right person. So I've decided that I won't be afraid anymore. I want to laugh with you, and cry, and quarrel, and comfort each other; it doesn't matter, not as long as it is together. And if someone else has a problem with it, be it our friends, or our villages, they can shove their concerns where the sun doesn't shine'' Said Kurotsuchi with a face full of determination, making Naruto stare at her in awe.

''That's why I want to be at your side for as long as I can. But only if you let me stay'' Concluded the girl, waiting expectantly for what Naruto had to say.

Naruto silently articulated his words as Kurotsuchi patiently let him take his time. After a moment, Naruto also took a deep breath. ''When the Akatsuki captured me, I thought that was the end. I kept thinking that I was never going to become Hokage, or that I would never see my team again. But that didn't scare me at the time, it mostly made me angry. But you now what really scared me? That I was never going to see you again and tell you how much you mean to me''

Kurotsuchi watched Naruto in amazement. To think that she was the main thing in his mind in such situation.

''I've had friends before, and mentors. And while they are very important to me and would die for each and every one of them, no one had made me feel the way you have'' Continued Naruto with a thoughtful look. ''Until you arrived I never knew how it was to go back home and know that someone was waiting there for me, to know that I wasn't alone. You gave me a family, even if just a small one''

 _''A family, huh?''_ Thought Kurotsuchi with a smile.

''And then I started to notice how awesome you were. Yes, you could be cold, and ruthless; but also kind and sweet. And in time you became my friend, the best one'' Said Naruto. ''But I was confused also, because what I felt with you wasn't like anything I felt with the rest of my friends so I started to wonder if there was something more, and I was right; you became the most important person in my life, if you were gone I don't know what I would do, I can't see myself going back to a life without you. So yes you can stay-no- I want you to stay''

Kurotsuchi responded him with a small but kind smile. ''Good, because I'm not going anywhere'' Said Kurotsuchi, leaning forward a little bit to stare at Naruto's eyes.

''Then you are going to have to put up with my stupid ass a bit longer'' Joked Naruto as he mimicked her actions, also leaning a little bit.

She gave a small laugh.''I wouldn't have it any other way, you know that''

Blue stared into pink as their eyes tried to convey with their gaze their feelings. They both felt their heartbeat rising as they slowly diminished the gap between them.

They closed their eyes as soon as they felt each other's breath brushing their faces. At last, their mouths locked, causing a small moan of pleasure from both at the tender touch of their lips. After such a long time, they finally let the emotions buried deep within them take hold of their actions as they left their instincts to guide them. Naruto put his hand on Kurotsuchi's shoulder while she held the back of his neck, deepening the kiss as another moan escaped them. their noses clashed against each other as they enjoyed each other's taste, not caring for anything in the world but the person in each other's grasp.

At this exact moment, they didn't know if what they were doing was bad or wrong, but that didn't matter, as they both had never felt so right.

 **Author's note:**

 **It finally happened! I have been waiting for this moment ever since I started writing this story! Oh man, I so so hope I did okay. I don't consider myself an outstanding writer by any means and I wanted the last scene to be the best as I could make it so I can only hope I made it passable.**

 **This chapter was originally going to be part of the last one but I felt that I had already crammed too much into one so I decided to split them. That's why this one came out so fast.**

 **I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter because I certainly did!**

 **And as always, please leave a review or PMme if you get the chance and I'll see you guys next time.**


	33. Chapter 33: Desires

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 33: Desires

''How long are you going to keep giving me the silent treatment?'' Asked Kurotsuchi to the purple-haired ANBU following her through the streets of Konoha's marketplace.

Still, Yugao just kept walking after Kurotsuchi, arms crossed and a serious look on her face that despite looking serene one could tell that she wasn't happy at all.

''I had to do it. Naruto was going to die. I couldn't just stay doing nothing and not hate myself for the rest of my life'' Said Kurotsuchi with a glance over her shoulder to look at Yugao.

Yugao stayed silent for a moment, making Kurotsuchi think that she wasn't going to respond until she finally spoke to her for the first time that day. ''You do realize that your little stunt has put not just me but my entire ANBU squad on probation?'' Yugao frowned in discomfort just talking about it. Being on probation as if they were some kind of rookies when they have always performed their task at their best of their abilities was humiliating. ''Excuse me for not being too happy about that''

''It can't be that bad'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''The Hokage has hated my ass since the first day she laid eyes on me and I have managed'' The girl tried to joke but a glare she got from Yugao tod her that she didn't find it funny in the slightest.

''It's not the same and you know it'' Said Yugao harshly. ''I have been too easy-going with you. I won't drop my guard again''

''Don't be like that'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I thought we were friends''

''Are we?'' Responded Yugao. ''If we are friends why did you put me in this position? friends are honest with each other''

''If I told you what I wanted to do would you have let me?'' Asked Kurotsuchi rhetorically.

''Of course not'' Said Yugao without a second thought.

''Exactly'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I'm sorry that you had to get in trouble because of me but I had to help, I just had. You would have done the same in my place''

Yugao sighed. The girl did have a point. If she could have done anything to save Hayate she would have done so, no questions asked. She knew perfectly well what it was to live knowing that you couldn't keep the person you loved most from dying. ''Fine, I'll concede you that. I too would have done stupid things for the man I loved''

Kurotsuchi stopped dead in her tracks at that comment, almost stumbling from the shock. ''L-Love?! W-Who says I love Naruto?! Of course I don't love the idiot that's ridiculous! Haha...'' Yugao's deadpan look told Kurotsuchi that she didn't believe her one bit and that she should probably stop making a fool of herself. ''Are we too obvious?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, resigning herself.

''Yes you are. Though you used to be much better at hiding it'' Said Yugao. ''I'm pretty sure that even the Hokage knows by now''

''What?!'' Asked Kurotsuchi in alarm. ''How do you know?! What makes you say that?!''

''Kakashi-Senpai told me what happened. About how she was about to punish you until you defended your actions to protect Naruto, rather passionately also might I add'' Explained Yugao. ''Judging by her weird reaction I can only guess that she realized why you are so protective of him''

''Damn it'' Muttered Kurotsuchi as she glanced to the floor in mortification. This complicated things. If the Hokage already found out about her and Naruto things would get more complicated. She had to be more careful in the future then, it might be too late now that Tsunade knew but there had to be some part of this that could still be salvaged.

''I fully expect the Hokage to talk to you about this in the near future if that's the case. I would be ready for that talk if I were you'' Warned Yugao.

Kurotsuchi just nodded solemnly. That was probably the reason why the Hokage told her they needed to talk. Nothing good could come out of that.

After a moment of silence, Yugao's eyes widened when she recalled something Kurotsuchi said. ''Wait. Did you say 'we'?

''Uhh?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, not understanding.

''You asked 'are we too obvious?' so that means that you know about Naruto's feelings too?'' Explained Yugao

Kurotsuchi was starting to panic, already knowing where this was going.

''And that also means that you both know that you have things to hide'' Concluded Yugao before she looked at Kurotsuchi in alarm. ''Y-You guys haven't...you know...''

''We haven't done anything of the sort!'' Exclaimed Kurotsuchi, blushing furiously in shame.

''You sure?'' Asked Yugao skeptically with a raised eyebrow. Hard to imagine that a couple of infatuated hormonal teenagers hadn't done anything sexual. ''Not even kissed?''

Kurotsuchi couldn't keep eye contact with Yugao, deviating her gaze to the side at the question.

At the lack of response, Yugao knew what that meant. ''So you did kiss him!''

''Okay, we kissed, alright?!'' Exclaimed the embarrassed Kurotsuchi. ''But that's all we have done, I swear!''

Yugao eyed the girl suspiciously for a moment before she decided to take her word for it. If she got flustered this easily she probably hadn't done more than that, thank god. Yugao gave a sigh once more before she brought a hand to her forehead. This whole situation was too stressing. ''Just...try to not get caught. And for the love of god don't do anything more serious'' She already knew that Kurotsuchi would not listen to her if she told her to stop being intimate with Naruto, so the only thing to do was to advise her to be more secretive, and hope that she didn't go beyond just kisses. Kurotsuchi making out with Naruto was a good enough reason to incite war if Iwa ever found out, let alone if they were to sleep together.

''I know that already, you don't have to remind me'' Said Kurotsuchi. No one knew better than her that she had to be careful.

Worries aside, Yugao turned to look at Kurotsuchi with a devilish smile. ''So, is Naruto a good kisser?''

''Wh-What!?'' Asked Kurotsuchi incredulously. She had just berated her for kissing the guy and now she wanted to gossip?

''I'm just curious that's all'' Said Yugao. Even if the kissing was a serious issue there was nothing she could do now, except have a girl talk about it, she was still a woman after all.

''That's none of your business!'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Honestly, first you imply that I slept with him and now you want to know how he kisses?! I didn't know you had such a dirty mind!''

''Oh, so I'm the one with a dirty mind now?'' Said Yugao slyly. ''I'm not the one that has sweet dreams about Naruto''

Kurotsuchi's went pale at that remark. ''What?!'' How did she know that?!

''Oh please, don't play dumb. I look after you all the time after all'' Said Yugao. ''Even at night. And boy do you say Naruto's name out loud while you sleep, and rather loudly too sometimes. I wonder what you could be dreaming about to warrant such reactions'' Said Yugao cheekily with a finger on her chin.

Kurotsuchi stared agape at Yugao, her mind blank. What could she possibly say to explain that?

''I guess that those Icha Icha books that you totally don't read have nothing to do with that, hmmm?'' Teased Yugao.

''Sh-Shut up!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi with a blush so intense it would make Hinata proud. ''Why don't you go back to ignoring me? Geez!'' Said Kurotsuchi before turning around and walking away looking like a tomato.

Yugao smiled triumphantly as she followed suit. Good thing that the street was empty or else she could not have teased her with such delicate topics. That's what the girl got for getting her in trouble with Tsunade-Sama.

-Hokage's Office-

Shizune dropped a pile of paperwork on the desk of her master while said Sannin just kept refilling her cup of sake before taking small sips from it.

''Tsunade-Sama, don't you think you should finish this paperwork first?'' Said Shizune in mild annoyance. She was tired of seeing the paperwork pile grow bigger and bigger while Tsunade just kept ignoring it.

''I'll do it later. Stop pestering me about it, will ya?'' Responded the Hokage as she rested her head on her palm with a thoughtful look on her face and a sake cup on the other hand.

Shizune frowned in concern. She knew that Tsunade could be negligent with her duties sometimes but rarely with such...apathy. ''Tsunade-Sama, it's everything all right? You have been like this for a while now'' Ever since she came back from visiting Naruto at the hospital she had been acting strangely.

Tsunade gave a deep sigh before she continued to stare at the wall with an unfocused look. ''I was a fool for taking this job, that's what's wrong''

Shizune rolled her eyes. Tsunade always said that everytime work got to her. ''That doesn't really tell me anything''

''It's Naruto, who else? Who aside from him gives me these headaches'' Tsunade elaborated. ''Who else but Naruto is so hellbent on making my life exponentially harder?''

Shizune got worried for a moment. Was something wrong with Naruto then? ''Is Naruto okay? he wasn't hurt too badly was he?'' She was pretty sure that she was informed that he wasn't in danger anymore after being treated but she was still afraid that she may have heard wrong.

''He is in love...'' Said Tsunade in distaste before taking a sip from her cup of sake.

Shizune's surprise at hearing that remark was soon replaced by excitement as she grinned contently. ''Really?! That's great, good for him! Why is that so-''

''With the Iwa girl'' finished Tsunade, shutting Shizune up, once again making her apprentice go back to a shocked state.

''Oh...'' Said Shizune at a loss for words.

''Is that all you have to say? 'oh'?'' Asked Tsunade incredulously.

''I-I just don't know what to say'' Said Shizune. ''Are you sure?''

''You wouldn't ask that if you had been there'' Said Tsunade as she poured herself another cup. ''The way the stupid girl talked about Naruto...You could see it in her eyes. That look was unmistakable. I used to be a silly girl in love too, you know''

Shizune didn't have to be reminded of that. The Sannin's love for Shizune's late uncle was what led her to become her mentor in the first place. ''Maybe it's a one-way thing. Maybe Naruto doesn't return her feelings'' Said the younger medic.

''As if that makes the situation any better'' Said Tsunade. ''Besides, I highly doubt that's the case. No sane woman would go to the lengths that the girl goes for someone they love if their feelings weren't reciprocated''

Shizune bit her lip in concentration. ''This doesn't have to be all bad. Maybe we could use this as a chance to promote peace between our nations. Like an arranged marriage or something like that''

Tsunade snorted at the ridiculous notion. ''Promote peace you say? Peace will be the farthest thing from Ohnoki's mind when he finds out. We have his granddaughter hostage while we charge him a ridiculous amount of money for her safety. What do you think will happen if this issue gets out? He will think we have brainwashed her and turned her traitor, not to mention that hooking her up with Naruto would seem like the biggest insult of them all. Might I remind you who was Naruto's father, Shizune?''

Shizune knew that there was very little they could do to salvage this, she had just tried to be optimistic. They had Iwa controlled for now but only because they were still recovering from the Akatsuki's assault and Kurotsuchi was in Konoha's custody. But if they got word of this it would seem as the ultimate insult for them; not only did they defeat them soundly during the third great ninja war, had their best Kunoichi and future Tsuchikage as a prisoner, but also had said Kunoichi fall in love with Konoha's pariah and son of their most hated enemy. This could very well be the straw that broke the camel's back in Iwa's eyes.

''Do you have any ideas, Tsunade-Sama?'' Asked Shizune hopefully after a couple of minutes of silence.

''Do you think I would be like this if I knew what to do?'' Asked Tsunade. ''That fucking idiot. Why does Naruto always has to follow the path that makes the most trouble for me?''

''I guess we love who we love. As the saying goes: we don't choose who we fall in love with'' Said Shizune, trying to argue at least a little bit in Naruto's defense.

''Whoever is the idiot who said that obviously didn't have to worry about avoiding an all-out war between two military powers'' Said Tsunade in annoyance.

''So, what are we going to do about this?'' Asked Shizune tentatively, almost afraid to hear the answer. Even if the situation was delicate she still felt bad for Naruto, he finally found someone he cared about and cared for him and the relationship could never be.

''I wouldn't be here lamenting with you if I knew, would I?'' Responded Tsunade before taking a gulp of sake.

Shizune frowned in worry, that was true this wasn't something that had a simple solution. Well, it technically did have an easy solution, they could just split the teenagers up, but she knew that Tsunade could never bring herself to do something like that to Naruto, not to him.

''By the way, Shizune''

The raven-haired medic turned to look at her master again at her call.

''I need you to deliver a message to Naruto at the hospital'' Informed Tsunade. ''I was supposed to tell him this earlier but with these recent events it completely slipped my mind''

Shizune tilted her head slightly in wonder. ''A message?''

-Konoha's Hospital-

Naruto licked his lips as he unpacked the Ichiraku Ramen takeout that Kurotsuchi had so kindly brought to his room. ''Tasty tasty ramen, how I've missed you!'' Exclaimed the blond as he sat straight up on his hospital bed. ''Thanks, Kuro-chan! Itadakimasu!'' Declared the blond before digging into his meal.

''You are welcome'' Said Kurotsuchi with a smile, glad to see Naruto in high spirits. ''Just try to not make a mess, will ya?''

''Don't worry, I'm always tidy'' Said Naruto as he devoured his noodles.

Kurotsuchi shot him a deadpan look. Naruto didn't even take a second before contradicting his statement.

Naruto noticed Kurotsuchi sitting silently and looking intently at him, so he stopped eating for a moment to address her. ''Sorry, do you want some?'' Offered the blond.

''I'm not hungry, thanks'' Replied the girl. ''Enjoy yourself''

Naruto didn't have to be told twice as he went back full-force to eating his ramen.

''So, any word on when you'll be discharged?'' Asked Kurotsuchi.

Naruto slurped a mouthful of noodles before answering. ''Sakura-chan said soon, and that as long as I get plenty of rest I'll be as good as new in a few days''

Kurotsuchi was glad for that, she hated seeing Naruto in a hospital bed. It was a reminder of how close he had been to dying. Thankfully he seemed to be healing fast, due to the Kyuubi. At the very least the stupid fox was helping Naruto get better considering that it was because of him that the Akatsuki fucks were after Naruto in the first place. Luckily, Naruto's appetite was just as healthy as ever. That was a good sign of his rapid improvement. She couldn't help but smile at how content the blond went through his food, seeing him in high spirits also cheered her up especially after almost losing him not long ago.

Naruto stopped eating momentarily when he felt Kurotsuchi quietly looking at him with a soft smile on her face. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve before looking at her too. ''What is it?''

Kurotsuchi shook her head gently. ''Nothing, it's just that...You really have no idea how happy I am that you are okay''

Naruto grinned sheepishly as he scratched the back of his head. ''Thanks. I'm also glad that you didn't get hurt'' Naruto wasn't exactly sure what else he could say or how he should act. One thing that he hadn't considered was how different his relationship with Kurotsuchi felt now. Now that both knew that they liked each other he didn't know what was he supposed to do, he didn't have any experience in this kind of things.

Kurotsuchi noticed Naruto's uncertainty and she had a good idea of what he was thinking. She herself didn't even know how to act now with him. Now that they both confessed there were no more pretenses or excuses, they both knew that they were head-over-heels for each other and it made things weird. They never established what their relationship was now; was she his friend? His girlfriend? She didn't know and she suspected that Naruto didn't either. She guessed that this was precisely why people often said that falling in love with your friends was a bad idea. Let alone falling in love with who should be your mortal enemy.

Their awkward silence was interrupted when they heard someone knock on the door. Both teenagers directed their attention at the entrance of the room when the door opened and Shizune walked in.

''Hello, Naruto-Kun'' Said Shizune with a pleasant smile as she entered. ''How are you feeling?''

''Shizune nee-chan!'' Exclaimed Naruto with joy. It had been a while since the last time he saw the raven-haired medic, it was nice of her to check on him. ''I'm doing great!''

''I'm happy to see that'' Said Shizune amicably before she turned her attention to Kurotsuchi. ''Nice to see you here too, Kurotsuchi-San. thank you for keeping Naruto company'' Said Shizune politely, but she couldn't help watching intently the Iwa girl after the conversation she had with her master. It was werid to see her knowing what was really going on with the teenagers.

''Same'' Said Kurotsuchi, returning the cordiality. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination but for some reason she felt as if the older woman was staring at her oddly.

''Hey, Shizune-Neechan, You know when I'm getting out of here?'' Asked Naruto. ''It's awfully boring in here. I'm feeling much better, I don't need to be trapped in this place''

''I just spoke to the head nurse, in fact. She wanted me to tell you that you are free to go'' Shizune informed him with a smile.

''Really?! Awesome! I'll get going then, I can't stand this hospital bed any longer'' Said Naruto with eagerness, already starting to kick the cover off him.

Kurotsuchi was relieved to know that Naruto could return to his apartment. Now they could have more time for themselves to sort out their new relationship.

''Actually, I had something else I had to tell you'' Informed Shizune, catching the attention of both teenagers.

Kurotsuchi couldn't help but feel a bit concerned at the grave face of Shizune at the comment. Whatever she had to say had to be important.

''Orochimaru is dead, Sasuke killed him'' Said Shizune.

Naruto stared agape at the medic, which soon turned his expression to one of joy. ''Does that mean that Sasuke is coming back to Konoha?!'' Said Naruto. He knew that there was no way that Sasuke was going to let the treacherous snake do as he pleased with him. And now that He wouldn't have Orochimaru whispering promises of power in his ear he ought to come back to Konoha.

Kurotsuchi huffed in annoyance. Any time Sasuke was mentioned it was enough to sour her mood. ''Naruto, I don't think that's the case'' Said the Iwa prodigy. ''He left to kill his brother, remember? That's why he wanted power in the first place. I don't think he'll be back until that's done'' Or he got himself killed by the very same insane brother he was trying to kill, and if Kurotsuchi could have her way she would love to see both Uchihas kill each other. That would be a pretty good way to get rid of the Uchiha bastards at the same time.

''Kurotsuchi-San is right'' Said Shizune. ''Sasuke will most likely go after Itachi next''

Naruto glanced at the floor in disappointment. Why couldn't Sasuke just come back? Why did things always have to be so complicated? Still, he couldn't just stay here while Sasuke chased someone as dangerous as Itachi by himself. ''We have to go look for Itachi before Sasuke gets to him'' Said Naruto. If they managed to find Itachi first it was just a matter of time before Sasuke had to go to them if he wanted to see his brother.

Kurotsuchi suppressed a groan of exasperation. Why couldn't Konoha just let the Uchiha go fuck himself?

''That's the plan'' Said Shizune, happy to see that Naruto got the gist of the idea quickly. ''But only after you are fully healed. Tsunade-Sama just wanted you to know about Sasuke as you have the right''

''Of course we are going! Screw it, I'm feeling fine, really'' Said Naruto without missing a beat. ''I won't let Sasuke face that freak by himself!''

Kurotsuchi gave Naruto a look of reprimand. ''Naruto, you aren't fully healed yet. You aren't ready to go''

''That's right. It isn't wise for you to go on another mission just yet after just getting out of the hospital'' Said Shizune.

''But I can't just stay here and do nothing while Sasuke-'' Naruto started rambling just to be interrupted by Kurotsuchi putting a had over his own and looking at him with a frown.

''You promised me'' Muttered the girl softly as she looked into his eyes.

Naruto widened his eyes at that. That was right, he had promised her that he wasn't going to chase Sasuke until he felt strong enough to take him on. The blond bit his lip as he pondered on this. He really felt a strong urge to go. This was another shot, a new chance to bring Sasuke back and make up for all the other times he had failed to do so. But seeing Kurotsuchi's expectant face staring at him in anticipation he knew that he would hurt her deeply if he broke a promise to her of all people. He never got back on his word and Kurotsuchi was the last person on earth he wanted to disappoint. So, with much difficulty he made up his mind.

''I-I'm sorry, Shizune-neechan, you guys are right. I'm not ready to go just yet'' Said Naruto somberly. He didn't want to abandon Sasuke but he had made a promise.

Saying that Shizune was shocked to hear Naruto's decision was an understatement. She thought for sure that Naruto would go straight to his apartment to pack his stuff and leave the village in search for Sasuke as soon as possible. However, it was a good thing in this case. Naruto wasn't in condition to be fighting Itachi and Sasuke. Still, it seemed that Tsunade-Sama wasn't kidding; if Kurotsuchi had this much influence over Naruto she had to be very important for the boy. Shizune wondered if that was a good or a bad thing. While she was trying to be happy for Naruto it also worried her a bit that a foreign Shinobi held this much sway over him.

Kurotsuchi gave the boy a small pleased grin. She knew how hard it must have been for him to turn down this mission and he had done it for her. If it wasn't for Shizune watching them she would embrace Naruto to show how grateful she was for taking her feelings into account.

''I see'' Said Shizune, simply nodding before turning herself to leave the two teenagers alone. ''Very well, I'll take my leave then. I have to report back to Tsunade-Sama. See you later, Naruto-Kun. Get well soon''

And with that, the medic was gone.

Kurotsuchi sighed, glad to be left alone again with Naruto. However, she eyed the blond who was looking in silence at the covers of his bed deep in thought. She knew that this had to be very difficult for him. She put her hand over his palm and gripped it gently, hoping to offer some comfort.

''What do you say if we get out of here?'' Suggested the girl. ''You must miss your place''

Naruto nodded curtly. That did seem like a nice idea. His apartment wasn't anything special but he preferred it a hundred times over the hospital. ''sounds good''

He might not be going after Sasuke, but at the very least he would leave this boring place. That was something nice going for him he guessed.

-Naruto's Apartment-

''Home sweet home!'' Exclaimed Naruto as soon as he crossed the door along with Kurotsuchi. He flung himself over his bed, glad to be on his own mattress after being in that piece of concrete that they call hospital bed.

Kurotsuchi smiled at the scene. It was good to see Naruto in high spirits again even if he had to turn down the offer to chase Sasuke. ''So, you want anything to eat? That takeout ramen couldn't have filled you up much'' Offered Kurotsuchi amicably. After all that has happened to Naruto he deserved a proper meal at the very least.

''It's okay. I'm only going to take shower and I'm off to train!'' Said Naruto as he sat on his bed with determination. ''I might not be able to bring Sasuke back just yet but I can hurry up and make myself stronger so I can get him quicker''

Kurotsuchi frowned in disapproval. So that's what this was about. He just wanted to train so he could go after the Uchiha?

''You are still recovering. Take it easy for a while'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''The Uchiha idiot is not going anywhere''

''The sooner I train the sooner I get stronger'' Said Naruto stubbornly. ''Besides, I'm feeling fine already. The stupid fox heals me fast. So there's nothing to worry about''

''We already talked about this, I'm not going to discuss this issue of the Uchiha again'' Said Kurotsuchi in annoyance. ''You know that training yourself to the ground as fast as you can is not the answer, so stop acting like I won't have an issue with it''

Naruto deflated at her words. Of course she was right, she almost always was. ''I...I know. It's just so hard, you know'' Said Naruto somberly. ''I just don't want Sasuke to die fighting Itachi''

Kurotsuchi's features softened. Even if she didn't like hearing Naruto talk about Sasuke she could understand that it burdened Naruto. ''I know that this is difficult for you, Naruto'' Said the girl as she sat beside him on the bed and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. ''But try to imagine how difficult this is for me too. I also don't want to see my boyfriend overstraining himself''

Naruto stared at her in surprise just to find her blushing just as hard as he was. ''B-Boyfriend?'' Muttered Naruto, the word feeling alien in his mouth.

Kurotsuchi glanced to the side, unable to hide her embarrassment. ''Well, y-yeah. I mean, I like you, you like me so...'' Said the Iwa prodigy as she fidgeted nervously.

Naruto gulped timidly before he found his resolution. He rapidly clasped Kurotsuchi's hand, grabbing her attention as she stared at him expectantly. ''Kurotsuchi...'' Started Naruto with some difficulty but he steeled himself to continue. It was time to properly define their relationship. ''Would...would you be my girlfriend?''

Kurotsuchi couldn't find any words, she just stared dumbly at the face of the blond, her face getting even redder. Still, she managed to give him a content smile. ''I thought you were never going to ask. You bet I want to be your girlfriend, idiot''

Naruto grinned gleefully, he couldn't express his joy right now. He would never have thought he would be so lucky to have a girlfriend like Kurotsuchi. the pink-eyed girl shared his sentiment. It was nice to finally be able to say without a shadow of a doubt what they were. That fact gave her newfound confidence, now she didn't have to worry about doing something that wasn't appropriate with a friend. She felt compelled to lean in and give him a simple kiss, but that wouldn't have been enough for her right now, no, this was a special occasion. She decided to be more daring, even if she had to swallow her nerves to try something different...

Naruto was a bit surprised when he felt Kurotsuchi put her hand on his cheek before giving him a tender kiss, which was something that he welcomed but it was soon replaced with shock when he felt the girl get on top of his lap. Still, Kurotsuchi didn't seem fazed by his reaction as she still continued to gently smooch his lips. Naruto decided to go with the flow and also closed his eyes, returning and deepening her kiss. She muffed a moan as he did so, encouraging him to go on, this time with a bit more confidence.

Getting more comfortable, Kurosuchi broke the kiss momentarily before resting her head on Naruto's shoulder. ''Aren't you glad you didn't go to train instead? Because I am. Na-ru-to-kun'' Kurosuchi purred in his ear in a playful manner.

The alluring way she said that sent shivers down Naruto's spine. He found the softness of her voice along with her breath on his skin beyond sexy and he couldn't help but feel his blood pressure steadily going up.

Kurotsuchi was quick to notice that too when she suddenly felt a peculiar pressure against her leg. The unexpected reaction from Naruto halted Kurotsuchi in her shock. She was a fool for not having considered that Naruto was a hormonal male teenager, of course this was going to happen. She took a quick glance at the boy's face only to find him averting her eyes, his face bright red in shame as he knew that she had noticed his body's reaction.

Kurotsuchi bit her lip in guilt. It hadn't been her intention to make things uncomfortable and her shocked reaction just served to make Naruto feel dirty for not controlling his urges. Still, she resolved to show him that it was alright. She gently grabbed his face and slowly forced him to look at her. He still averted his gaze momentarily before he finally locked eyes with her to see that she wasn't angry or disgusted, and instead she shot him an understanding smile before she gave him a peck on the lips. He was unsure at first but soon enough he started relaxing again.

Kurotsuchi continued to give him small soft kisses, trying to make him see that it was okay to experiment; he didn't have to feel pressured or anything of the sort. Right now they just needed to do what felt right to them, to have fun. And at the moment, just making out was enough. If they ever wanted to get any farther than this they would cross that bridge when they got there later.

And with that, both teenagers spent the rest of the afternoon just enjoying each other's contact, with the muffled groan of pleasure here and there.

-Hokage's Office-

Tsunade finished signing another document before angrily putting it away and starting another one, taking a gulp of sake before continuing. She cursed this damn job. She wasn't in the slightest mood to be doing this right now but if she kept delaying it she would be here all her life.

''We are almost done, Tsunade-Sama'' Said Shizune, who had agreed to help her master with the documents to be done with them quicker. ''There's no need for that face''

''It's my face, I'll have the expression I want to have'' Responded the moody Sannin.

Shizune just sighed but she still kept doing her part of the work.

Tsunade was ready for smash her desk when she heard a knock on her door. She swore that if it was more work she was going to punch the poor soul that brought it.

''What is it?!'' Asked the impatient woman.

''T-There is a message for you, Hokage-Sama'' Responded a man at the other side of the door, he sounded scared, no doubt knowing that his leader wasn't particularly cheery right now.

''Go away. I'm busy'' Said Tsunade as she signed yet another document.

''I really think that you need to see this, Hokage-Sama'' Said the man reluctantly.

Tsunade took a deep breath to calm her rage before she signaled Shizune. ''Take this for me, will you?''

Shizune promptly obeyed as she went to answer the door. As soon as she did a Chuunin at the entrance gave a small bow of respect before he quickly handed her a scroll. Shizune thanked him before the man went away.

The young medic didn't waste any time and opened the scroll. She lifted the parchment up to her face, shielding her features as she read the contents.

Tsunade eyed her protege curiously, waiting for her to tell her what the urgent message said. She frowned when she noticed Shizune gripping the piece of paper tighter and tighter.

''So, what does it say?'' Asked Tsunade with impatience. Judging by Shizune's reaction it couldn't be anything good. Of course she would get bad news, when did she ever get good news? Still, whatever it was couldn't be worse than recent events.

That thought died when Shizune finally put the scroll down and stared at her master with a tearful face. ''T-Tsunade-Sama...I'm so sorry...''

The color drained from the Hokage's face at the expression and tone of voice from the younger woman, already dreading to hear whatever the message was.

 **Author's note:**

 **Yes, guys, I'm alive. I'm sorry for my longest disappearance yet, life had been really crazy as of late. It just seems that every time I think things can't get crazy again they always end up doing it. I really should stop doubting it, at this point it's like asking: 'What could possibly go wrong?' It just seems like I'm jinxing it, so I'll stop doing that.**

 **I know that I haven't updated in a while and I have no excuse once again. But c'mon guys I'm not dead yet. A lot of people seem to think that I abandoned this story along with my other one too, and I can't blame you for thinking that. But I'll tell you guys right now, the day I really give up on this fic I'll have the courtesy to let you guys know, along with a summary of what was supposed to happen. I hope that never happens but until then I'll keep going.**

 **Now, regarding the fic itself, the chapter was alright I guess. I know that not much happened but I'm trying to have our leads explore their evolving relationship a bit more and I can only hope I'm doing it alright.**

 **But that's what reviews are for, right?! As always, feel free to Review or PM me with any comments on the story. See you guys later!**


	34. Chapter 34: Comfort

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 34: Comfort

Naruto steeled himself as he entered the Hokage's office along with Kakashi at his side. The Sharingan user had gone to get him and told him that the Godaime needed to see him. He wasn't a genius but the way his teacher carried himself it was obvious that whatever they needed him for was serious. Not to mention that for some reason Gamabunta and Gamakichi were stationed just outside the Hokage's building. Naruto's first thought was that they had found out about his relationship with Kurotsuchi and if that was the case he had to be ready for a reprimand. He had been thinking of good arguments all the way to meet the female Sannin but as soon as he opened the door everything he had come up with left his mind.

The atmosphere inside the office was heavy. Sai and Sakura were already waiting there for him and Kakashi. The pinkette had a look of sadness in her eyes and Sai looked somber, even more so than usual.

At the side of the Hokage's desk was a small toad with grey strands of hair and a small cloak. Naruto also spotted Shizune at the very end of the room and she was sporting a look of concern not unlike Sakura's. But what really caught Naruto's attention was Tsunade herself. The Hokage was sitting on her desk patiently waiting for Naruto as was expected but her expression tipped Naruto off. The Hokage tried to look serene but with her red puffy eyes, even Naruto could tell that she wasn't okay.

''W-What is going on here,?'' Asked Naruto tentatively as he slowly made his way towards his grandmother figure. Somehow, he had a feeling that this wasn't about Kurotsuchi.

''So, this is Naruto,'' Said the toad as he regarded the boy closely. ''Jiraiya-Chan's pupil''

''He is'' Answered Tsunade drily.

Naruto eyed the small toad with suspicion. Was the Ero-Sennin involved in this too?

''Tsunade-Baachan, what is happening here? And who does this old frog thinks he is to be talking like that to the Ero-Sennin?'' Said Naruto in annoyance. The nerve of the old toad to be calling the old man 'Chan'.

Fukasaku smiled in amusement at the nickname that Naruto had for Jiraiya. He was just like his master.

''Quiet, Naruto,'' Tsunade scolded the boy. ''Fukasaku is Jiraiya's teacher and a respected figure amongst the toads. Sow him more respect''

Naruto stared at the small toad in surprise. This was the Ero-Sennin's teacher?

''Anyway I'll go straight to the point,'' Said Fukasaku not wanting to prolong the bad news anymore. ''Jiraiya-Chan has been killed in combat''

Naruto felt as if someone had dropped a bucket of ice water over him. He could not do anything but stare silently at the toad and at Tsunade, waiting for someone to tell him this was a bad joke, but that never happened.

The rest of the people present in the room could only watch Naruto in pity waiting for a further reaction from the boy.

''How?'' Was the only thing that Naruto managed to mutter.

''He died on a mission fighting Pain, the leader of Akatsuki,'' Said Fukasaku before taking off his cloak and revealing what appeared to be numbers carved on his back. ''Jiraiya-Chan managed to write this message on my back just before he died. He wrote it in code so Pain didn't know what he was doing''

However, Naruto didn't seem to be the slightest bit interested in that code. His master was dead and that was all that mattered to him right now. ''Granny, did you send him on that mission?'' Naruto asked the Hokage.

''I did'' Responded Tsunade.

Naruto grimaced, holding back his impulse to lash out against the Sannin. ''Screw this!'' He turned around in anger, ready to leave the office but before he reached for the doorknob he glanced back at one last time at Tsunade. ''If the Ero-Sennin had been the Hokage he would never have let you go on that mission.'' And with that, Naruto left the office, ignoring a worried call from Sakura.

Naruto was glad that no one had come looking for him as soon as he left. He wasn't in the mood to see anyone right now. After leaving the Hokage Tower, Naruto found himself walking aimlessly through Konoha's marketplace.

He didn't know if he was looking for a way to occupy his mind or what but it was all in vain, he kept picturing all the times he spent with his late master; all the times he scolded him or called him a knuckleheaded idiot to all the times he was there for him when he needed him. Naruto cursed under his breath before he slammed his fist against a wall beside him. Why did Ero-Sennin have to die? What was the old idiot thinking when he went looking for a fight with the Akatsuki's leader? The blond's mind was in a turmoil and he continued to wander the streets without a clear goal as if to find answers that he knew he wasn't going to find...

-Kurotsuchi's Apartment-

 _''And then Himiko couldn't help her gasps of breath getting sharper as she felt Masato make his way inside of-''_ Kurotsuchi's attention was diverted from her book when she heard a knock on her door. She sighed in frustration at being interrupted just when things were getting interesting. She proceeded to hide the Icha Icha book below the cushion of her sofa as she stood up to answer her door.

''Sakura?'' Said Kurotsuchi when she found the pink-haired medic jus outside her apartment.

''Hello, Kurotsuchi-San. Have you seen Naruto? He doesn't appear to be at his place'' Said Sakura with concern in her voice.

Kurotsuchi raised an eyebrow at that. ''I haven't seen him all day,'' Replied the Iwa girl. She went looking for him at his apartment when she woke up this morning, but when she couldn't find him she decided to wait for him by killing time reading. ''Did you need him for something?''

Sakura shook her head gently. ''I just wanted to see if he was doing okay. With the issue with Jiraiya-Sama and all that''

That piqued Kurotsuchi's interest. What issue with Jiraiya?

''Wait, didn't you hear?'' Asked Sakura when she noticed the clueless look that Kurotsuchi was giving her.

''Hear what?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, now getting increasingly worried about what had Sakura this worked up.

''Jiraiya-Sama is dead,'' Said Sakura somberly. ''he was killed fighting the Akatsuki's leader''

Kurotsuchi couldn't hide her surprise. Jiraiya of the Sannin was dead?! The great toad sage Jiraiya? But that meant that...Naruto!

And with that, Kurotsuchi rushed out of her apartment, slamming the door behind her.

''Wait, Kurotsuchi-San where are you going?'' Said Sakura only to be ignored.

Kurotsuchi quickly made her way into the street. She had to find Naruto. Who knew what he could do after finding out that his master was dead. She wouldn't put it past him to go looking for the Akatsuki by himself or something of the sort. And even if he didn't he was hurting at the very least and she had to be there for him.

-Outskirts of Konoha-

Kurotsuchi was getting more frustrated by the minute. She had already checked all the places that Naruto would go to; from Ichiraku to the academy, or the training grounds and not one of them had yielded results. _''Were are you, Naruto?''_ Thought the girl in worry until a thought occurred to her. _''That's it! I know where he is!''_

Then, she changed her course towards the Hokage monument, rapidly traversing the oath of the steep hill towards the mountain until she finally spotted the familiar figure of Naruto sitting on top of the head of the Yondaime.

Once Naruto felt someone approaching him, he glanced back to see Kurotsuchi making her way up to him. ''Kurotsuchi, I didn't know you were there''He said as he wiped the tears from his eyes with his forearm, not wanting the girl to see him like this.

Kurotsuchi furrowed her brow when he noticed his red eyes. She really hated to see him suffer. ''I've been looking all over the place for you, you know?'' Said the girl as she took a seat beside Naruto.

''I'm sorry, I just...had to be alone'' Said Naruto dejectedly.

Kurotsuchi stared softly at him before she put a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. ''I'm sorry Naruto. I heard about Jiraiya,'' Said Kurotsuchi, noticing how Naruto winced at the mention of his late master. ''I know how much you are hurting''

Naruto didn't say anything. He didn't feel comfortable worrying Kurotsuchi over him but he was thankful for her presence.

''You know,'' Said Kurotsuchi softly. ''My dad always used to tell me that the people we loved that have already passed away watch over us. For a long time I didn't know if I believed him or not. It certainly seemed like bullshit a lot of times. But one day I decided that I wanted to believe it, I really wanted to believe that my mother was looking over me and I needed to do my very best for her. Even if she really wasn't watching me I just had to do what would have made her proud in her memory''

Naruto pondered on what Kurotsuchi said for a moment. He understood her point. If the Ero-Sennin wasn't here to see him grow he should t least strive to live up to the expectations he had of him; still he couldn't help his sorrow. ''I hope you are right. I just wanted him to see me become Hokage, to see me be something else than just a failure''

Kurotsuchi gave Naruto a weak slap on the back of his head, which caused the boy to stare at her in surprise as he rubbed the pain away.

''You are not a failure, idiot,'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''And I don't think Jiraiya would have wasted his time with you if he thought so too. I never told you this but one time he came to pay me a visit in my apartment shortly after arriving in Konoha. This was before we were friends and I had just acted like a bitch to you and he came to give me a piece of his mind. It was scary seeing him so worked up and he did it for your sake''

Naruto hadn't known that his old master did that. It was nice to know that he cared. Still, he wished he hadn't been too hard on Kurotsuchi.

''I'm not mad about that anymore, I totally deserved it,'' Said Kurotsuchi almost as if reading Naruto's mind. ''And if he hadn't done that I probably would never have made up with you and we'd never have been friends. He did all that for you, so now you should honor his memory and stop moping around, it doesn't suit you. And I never want to hear you say that you are a failure again, got it?''

Naruto smiled for the first time in the day at hearing Kurotsuchi's encouraging words. Once again he wiped the tears from his eyes, but this time he had more resolution than before.

Kurotsuchi smiled with content, realizing that her words had an effect on the blond. Then, she was suddenly surprised when Naruto turned to her locked his lips with hers. Kurotsuchi's surprise didn't last long and she found herself returning his kiss, closing her eyes as she enjoyed the moment along with him.

After a few seconds, Naruto broke the kiss before glancing into her eyes in appreciation. ''Thank you Kuro-Chan. I really needed your words''

Kurotsuchi bit her lips as she too returned his gesture. That had been a quick kiss but she could feel Naruto's gratitude in the action. ''you know I'm here for you. In the future don't hesitate to find me if you are not feeling well, okay?''

Naruto nodded. ''Definitely''

Then, Kurotsuchi closed the distance between them and leaned her head against his shoulder as she stared at the village below. ''You were right. It really does look nice from up here''

''Yeah, it does'' Responded Naruto as he rested his head against hers and took her hand in his, letting a comfortable silence set in as they watched the village in the light of the twilight. Wherever the Ero-Sennin was, Naruto promised that he would make his master proud. And he knew that Kurotsuchi would be at his side, making sure that he continued to improve.

 **Author's notes:**

 **This was a very short chapter, sorry about that. I didn't want to extend it with useless fluff uneccesary events so I just decided that it was best to stay short but focused. On the plus side it allowed me to finish it quicker.**

 **However, I'm excited for the chapters to come! A lot of them are ones that I have had planned for a very long time and I can't wait to put them into words at least. Not to mention that they will be pretty eventful, probably the most eventful yet.**

 **Hopefully this means that I will have them up soon...But don't hold me on to that. But you can all look forward to the next chapter, because something that has been building up for quite some time happens. It'll be fun, kinda. I'll let you guys predict what it is.**


	35. Chapter 35: Painful Revelations

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 35: Painful Revelations

Kurotsuchi gave a mighty yawn as she stretched her arms. She was resting on her sofa and bored out of her mind. Team Gai was busy so that meant no training today and Naruto was helping crack some code that Jiraiya left for him apparently. Which left her with nothing to do but sit around in her apartment. At least it appeared that Naruto was feeling better which Kurotsuchi was glad for. Jiraiya had been like a grandfather to him and he had cared for his pupil. Naruto treasured his precious people above all else and having lost such a close paternal figure hit him hard. Anyway, Kurotsuchi vowed to be there for Naruto if he needed her. She might not have been close to Jiraiya herself but she understood Naruto's feelings...Wait...did this mean there would be no more Icha Icha books?!

Kurotsuchi grabbed her face in horror at the realization. There would be no more books! And just after leaving it in a cliffhanger no less! Damn it, now she would never know what happened to Himiko.

Kurotsuchi shook her head to clear those thoughts away. She felt terrible for thinking something as shallow as worrying about a stupid story when this was a serious issue for Naruto. It was no surprise after all, as Naruto was an orphan. Losing the man he looked up to like a father had to be especially painful for a boy that grew up without no one else.

Kurotsuchi frowned in melancholy. She hated knowing how hard Naruto had it growing up and now this issue with Jiraiya just left her feeling terrible for her boyfriend. If only there was something she could do to help him in some way aside from just being an emotional support.

Suddenly, Kurotsuchi widened her eyes and bolted up from the sofa as an idea came to her. There was something she could do, she didn't know why she didn't think about this before. However, she knew that for this particular task she would need help. But she had someone in mind already and with her idea still fresh in her mind she proceeded to leave her apartment. She was doing nothing anyway, she might as well do this now.

-Konoha's Marketplace-

''...And I just dropped dead unto my bed, falling asleep almost immediately and even then I swear I'm still feeling tired'' Said Ino with an annoyed huff as she handed yet another shopping bag to Sai.

''I see'' Said Sai simply as he followed Ino around. She had asked him to come with her shopping and he ended up as the designated pack-mule. Ino had said that boys were supposed to help girls with heavy bags. He didn't complain though, he was just happy to be included in a normal activity between friends, even if Ino never stopped talking about things he didn't know about.

''I mean don't get me wrong, I like working at the shop, I love flowers but making a hundred flower arrangements is a little too much'' Said Ino before she glanced back at Sai. ''But I guess I can understand, those were for a wedding and those ough to be special. Right, Sai-Kun?''

''Yeah'' Said the pale boy with a nod of his head, just going with the flow.

''When I get married I'll probably ask for two- No- Three hundred flower arrangements'' Ino swooned dreamily. ''I would want only the perfect wedding. With a big cake and the prettiest dress. Wouldn't that be wonderful?''

''I guess'' Said Sai.

''You said it, Sai-Kun. Of course it would be'' Chirped Ino.

''Guys!''

Both teenagers turned around at being called so suddenly and to their surprise they found Kurotsuchi approaching them in haste.

''Kurotsuchi-San?'' Said Sai in confusion. It was rare for the Iwa Kunoichi to go looking for him. especially so soon after last time.

''Hey, Kurotuschi!'' Greeted Ino amicably. ''What a surprise to see you here''

''Hey to you too'' Said Kurotsuchi as she stopped in front of them.

''It's been a while since I last saw you, girl. How's everything going? Where's Naruto?'' Asked Ino with a sly smirk.

Kurotsuchi ignored the question, hiding her nervousness at Ino's insinuation. ''I need you to come with me''

Ino eyed the prodigy curiously. ''Sure but-''

''Thanks, I'll explain later'' Said Kurotsuchi as she started walking away rapidly. ''Are you coming or not?''

Ino looked at Sai to know what he thought and he responded with a shrug. Ino gave a sigh and proceeded to follow the Iwa girl with Sai in tow.

After a while, Kurotsuchi led them into a library. Ino raised an eyebrow at the unexpected location but followed Kurotsuchi inside anyways.

The trio passed by several rows of bookcases filled to the brim with notebooks, scrolls, and books until Kurotsuchi sat down at a table at the very far end of the establishment.

''O-kay...This place isn't what I had in mind when you said you wanted us to follow you'' Said Ino as she and Sai sat down across from Kurotsuchi.

''I needed to bring you somewhere where the ANBU following me can't overhear us'' Whispered Kurotsuchi.

Sai tilted his head at the odd comment while Ino voiced her concern. ''Why would it be a problem for the ANBU to hear us?'' Asked the Yamanaka.

Kurotsuchi took a deep breath. This was hard for her, especially since she didn't know Ino very well and didn't get along with Sai. ''I need your help''

''Our help? With what exactly?'' Inquired Ino.

''I need your help in finding info on someone,'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I don't know if they are alive or dead but they should have a record. I need you to go into Konoha's ninja archives''

Ino widened her eyes at the request. ''But those archives are..''

''In the Hokage Tower'' Finished Sai for her.

''Exactly. I'm not allowed to get in. I need someone who can'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''I don't know how much I can help with that'' Said Sai. The Hokage didn't trust Danzo and she would certainly not be comfortable letting a ROOT agent into the archives. He could try sneaking in but that wasn't adviced, if he was caught he could get in serious trouble. He would need a good reason to be let in.

''Well, I could enter but...'' Said Ino. Since she trained with the Hokage for her medical Ninjutsu she went to the tower pretty often. She wasn't a full-fledged apprentice like Sakura was but she had enough clearance to make it in without arousing suspicion. ''But why would you even need to enter the archives? Who are you looking for anyway?''

Kurotsuchi knew that Ino was basically saying politely that this seemed fishy, especially if a foreign ninja was planning on doing it. Kurotsuchi couldn't blame Ino, this was pretty suspicious she knew. That's why she needed to explain. ''You heard about Jiraiya, right?''

Sai nodded.

''Of course, who wouldn't?'' Said Ino. Jiraiya's death was a pretty heavy topic around Konoha.

''As you can imagine, Naruto took it pretty hard'' Said Kurotsuchi with a sorrowful look at remembering Naruto's pain. ''Naruto didn't have anyone growing up, he never knew what a family was, he never even knew them. The old man was like a father to him''

Ino and Sai also looked somberly at the table, trying to imagine what Naruto went through. Ino knew that if her dad or even Asuma-Sensei had died she would not know what to do with her life.

''That's why I want him to at least know a little bit about his family'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''I want to help him know who his parents are''

A look of realization hit Ino and Sai. So that's what Kurotsuchi wanted. She just needed to find who Naruto's parents were. It was a noble goal to try and help Naruto know of his lost parentage and they could relate in wanting to help.

''Okay!'' Said Ino cheerily, trying to lift the mood. ''We'll help you help Naruto! Right, Sai-Kun?!'' She just couldn't deny a request from the heart. The way Kurotsuchi talked about this meant that she cared and Ino wasn't going to let this chance of getting the two lovebirds together pass.

The pale boy nodded with determination. ''I also want to ease Naruto's pain even if a little bit''

''Thank you, guys'' Said Kurotsuchi with appreciation. With their help she was sure that she had to find something...

-Hokage Tower-

A young brunette sat at the reception as she went through some documents until she was interrupted by a newcomer.

''Hello there!'' Said Ino as she approached the woman along with Sai.

''Ino-San good to see you!'' Greeted the young woman. ''I haven't seen you around here in a while. Have you been busy?''

''You know how it is. With my training and missions I don't have the time to come here as often anymore'' Said Ino.

''That's to be expected'' Said the woman before she noticed Sai. ''And who is your friend. Is he your boyfriend maybe?''

Sai just tilted his head in confusion.

''Oh, Sai is just a friend'' Ino waved it off. ''For the moment'' added the blonde with a wink to which Sai only stared at her curiously, still just as clueless.

''I see'' Said the woman. ''Anyway, what can I do for you?''

''Shizune-San asked me to retrieve something from the ninja archives'' Said Ino as before she pointed her thumb at Sai. ''And Sai offered to help''

''The ninja archives?'' Repeated the woman. Ino never went there but there was a first time for everything she guessed. Shizune wouldn't have sent here there if it wasn't important. ''Very well. Please just be careful in there, those are delicate documents'' Said the woman as she handed Ino a key.

''We'll be super careful, I promise'' Said Ino as she grabbed the key and then she and Sai proceeded into the room behind the woman.

Once inside, Ino gave a sigh of relief. They were in the clear for now but they had to be quick. The longer they stayed there the bigger the chance of being found out.

Sai glanced curiously at his surroundings. The room was fairly big and had shelves filled to the brim with boxes and folders who they themselves were bursting with papers. One could tell that the place wasn't cleaned very often as it reeked of old paper.

''Okay, so where do we start?'' wondered Ino out loud. ''I don't even know how we are supposed to find anything on Naruto's parents''

''We should just focus on people with Uzumaki as their surname. That's all we have to go on'' Said Sai.

''I know but digging into all these documents is going to take a while and who knows how many Uzumaki are in here'' Said Ino in exasperation.

Sai for his part remained silent but he pulled out a large scroll and set it on the floor.

Ino wondered what Sai was doing when she saw the boy write 'Uzumaki' on the blank scroll with letters as big as the scroll could take.

Then, Sai made a bunch of hand seals and the letters on the scroll turned into countless small ink spiders.

Ino jumped backward at the unexpected Jutsu, feeling slight disgust for at the sight of the arachnids even if they were made of ink. ''What are you doing? What is that Jutsu?'' Asked Ino as the small creatures scattered all throughout the room.

''It's a special Jutsu I have for gathering information when the content or its location is unclear'' Said Sai. ''These spiders will get into every single document in this room and will look for any that contains the code words I created them from, in this case 'Uzumaki' then they will come back and make an exact copy in the scroll I laid out''

''That's brilliant!'' Praised Ino. ''That's a very useful Jutsu you have there, Sai-Kun. You are amazing''

''In ROOT we are trained for these kinds of situations'' Said Sai. Danzo ensured that they were adept at retrieving information in the most efficient way possible.

''I see,'' Said Ino. ''And how long will this take?''

''Not much'' Said Sai

And so, both teenagers waited patiently for Sai's spiders to do their job and luckily for Ino they started coming back in just a few minutes. She observed as Sai laid out several scrolls on the floor for the small creatures to crawl over and when they did they turned into letters, pictures, and all kind of information, effectively making exact copies of whatever document they had found.

Surprisingly, it seemed that there weren't or hadn't been any Uzumakis in the village as Sai's Jutsu only produced a couple dozen or so copies.

''Are they done?'' Asked Ino.

''Yes'' Responded Sai.

''There really weren't that many'' Noted Ino. For registries on every single people with the same last name they sure weren't that numerous.

Sai nodded, agreeing with her. ''Whatever the case we have what we came here for''

''You are right,'' Said Ino. ''Let's just pack all our findings and go back to Kurotsuchi''

Sai nodded obediently before he started to do just that.

-Library-

Kurotsuchi taped her finger impatiently on the table as she glanced around at the numerous books around her. Ino and Sai were taking a long time to gather what she asked of them but she supposed that it was to be expected. There had to be countless archives stored at the Hokage Tower, finding every Uzumaki in recent memory was going to be difficult.

Then it was at that moment when she noticed her two accomplices arriving at the scene carrying several documents each.

''We're back!' chirped Ino.

''That was faster than I thought'' Said Kurotsuchi with mild surprise. ''Are you sure you got them all?''

''As sure as we can be,'' Said Ino. ''Sai-Kun is very efficient at info gathering''

''I'm glad,'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''Thanks for your efforts, you can go now if you wish''

''Don't worry we are glad to help. Let's us give you a hand with these too,'' Said Ino. ''It'll be faster with three people.''

''It would be the best course of action.'' Said Sai with a nod.

Kurotsuchi didn't feel too comfortable asking for more help but things would really go more smoothly with more friends helping. ''Thank you.'' Replied the Iwa Kunoichi with a smirk.

''You are welcome,'' Said Ino before turning to Sai. ''Let's get to it, Sai-Kun.''

And with that, both Ino and Sai put the documents on the table and the three teenagers started handing them out between them.

-Kurotschi's apartment-

''Hey Kuro-Chan, open up!'' Said Naruto as he banged on Kurotsuchi's door. ''Are you there?''

The blond gave a few more knocks with no success. It seemed that she wasn't home. He sighed as he resigned himself. He would have to look for her in some other place.

He made his way to the stairs of the complex as he thought of all the places where his girlfriend could have gone to.

After helping crack the code that the Ero-Sennin left for him they found out that the message was 'The real one is not among them' which didn't make any sense for him, or anyone for that matter and if Shikamaru couldn't solve it he sure as hell didn't have the slightest idea.

That made them conclude that if the message wasn't of any immediate help they would need to make Naruto stronger and fast as according to that old toad he wouldn't stand a chance against Pain as he was now. So, he came to tell Kurotsuchi that he was going to leave for a few days to train with the toads as he was promised that it would make him leaps and bounds stronger.

He wanted to let Kurotsuchi know about all this situation but more importantly, he didn't want to leave for days without telling his most precious person. And he had to hurry as he hadn't been given all that much time on settling his personal matters.

But no matter what happened, he promised he would get stronger. Not only was he going to avenge his late master and all the people that the Akatsuki had wronged but he wasn't going to die, not when he finally found someone that made him happy. He wanted to spend more time with Kurotsuchi and his friends; he still had to become Hokage and see Kurotsuchi become Tsuchikage too.

But first he had to find her.

-Library-

Sai put away yet another document as he started analyzing a new sheet of paper. He worked as diligently as with any other mission he had bee assigned to.

Kurotsuchi was just as focused and professional as the pale boy but her face didn't hide her frustration as well as Sai's. If he could even feel frustration that is.

Meanwhile, Ino looked bored as she tossed aside another registry that they deemed too unlikely to be any of Naruto's parents.

''Man, did Naruto just puffed into existence on the orphanage or something?'' complained Ino. ''I can't find someone that even looks like him''

Kurotsuchi silently agreed. There weren't many Uzumakis in Konoha, nor now or in the past. Most people they had gone over had been too old to be any of Naruto's parents, had died a long time ago, or they had left Konoha soon after arriving. They even found out that the late wife of the Shodaime had been an Uzumaki who had also hosted the Kyuubi in the past, that was the best lead they found but they highly doubted that it had something to do with Naruto.

''Maybe there were more archives hid in other places that we missed?'' Wondered Kurotsuchi as she put aside the document she had been reading.

''Oh, look! This one looks promising!'' Said Ino suddenly with a big grin.

''Really? Let me see'' Said Kurotsuchi as Ino handed her the sheet of paper.

''Kushina Uzumaki...'' Muttered Kurotsuchi as she analyzed the picture of the woman. She had long hair, fair skin, and a somewhat round face. Ino was right, there was something about this one, it was hard to describe but something about her face reminded her of Naruto. It would be easier to tell if the picture had any color as Sai was only able to copy them in black and white. Luckily for them the registry had all that data written already in there like eye and hair color so it wasn't that much of a problem.

''She is pretty,'' Added Ino. ''But she reminds me of Naruto, kinda''

''She does have an air about her'' Sai Sai who had come to look over Ino's shoulder to take a look at the info they found.

Kurotsuchi started to read the rest of the document. ''Kushina Uzumaki. Birthday: July 10th, Died on October 10th sixteen years ago according to this date. She was sent to Konoha from Uzushiogakure to become the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi...'' Kurotsuchi widened her eyes while Ino smiled even more at that. This was a good sign. That was already a good link to Naruto. Still, Kurotsuchi needed to know more. They had to be sure about this, so she kept on reading further along, skipping the minute details. ''She had extremely large Chakra reserves and could make Chains made of Chakra as befitting of some Uzumaki clan members''

''The extreme Chakra capacity sounds like Naruto'' Said Sai.

''And the date of her death...Isn't that Naruto's birthday?'' Added Ino.

Kurotsuchi knew that Ino's observation had a lot of merits. The seals of female Jinchuuriki weakened considerably during childbirth. It made sense that the Kyuubi attacked in that date now, and it made even more sense that Naruto was chosen immediately to be the next Jinchuuriki if he was a newborn who was the child of the previous one, he would already be qualified. It even matched Naruto's age.

''What else does it say?'' Asked Ino eagerly. This had to be Naruto's mom, she had to be. She wanted to know more about her even if out of curiosity.

Kurotsuchi agreed with the Yamanaka and resumed reading. ''there is not much left. She was Jounin-rank, was known to have a volatile temper, and was married to the Yondaime Hoka-'' Kurotsuchi froze at that part as her brain failed process that bit of information. Her hand started to shake as cold sweat rolled off her forehead. This coulnd't be...

''She was married to the Yondaime?!'' Exclaimed Ino in surprise. She had to be an impressive woman to marry the Yondaime. Wait, did that also mean that Naruto was...

Unlike Ino, Sai noticed the sudden shift in Kurotsuchi's demeanor and he eyed her in wonder.

''This has to be a mistake...'' Muttered Kurotsuchi as she felt dread build up inside of her. This couldn't be what she thought it meant. She had to be jumping to conclusions. There was no way destiny could be this cruel to her. She crumbled the sheet of paper with her hold, making Ino finally notice that something was wrong with her.

''Kurotsuchi-San what's wrong?'' Asked Ino. Only for the Iwa girl to throw the document away and bolted from the table.

''Wait, what are you doing?'' Asked Ino as Kurotsuchi went from one shelve of the library to the next, taking a quick look to each book she took and swiftly hauling it to the floor. ''What's gotten into you?!''

Kurotsuchi ignored Ino as she threw another book behind her. She didn't care if she got in trouble; She didn't care for Sai, or Ino or anything at the moment. She only cared to get to the bottom of this. She eased her rampage when she found the book she had been looking for: A book detailing the life of Konoha's previous Hokages. She promptly opened it and went to the last pages, silently praying that this was a misunderstanding. However, her hopes were shattered once she got to the last pages and she came face to face with a colored picture of the Yondaime, Minato Namikaze. Her blood ran cold as she stared agape at the book in her hands. This didn't feel real, this couldn't be real. But she knew deep down that it was, she didn't even need to read any content of the page, the Yondaime's picture alone was proof of her worst fears. She was basically looking at a carbon copy of Naruto. She let the book drop to the floor as her expression shifted from shock, to realization, and to anger.

''Kurotsuchi-San, what happened? Why are you like this?'' Asked Ino as she and Sai approached the hysteric girl.

''What is going on here?!'' Said Yugao as she arrived at the scene. She had been overlooking Kurotsuchi from outside and when she heard the ruckus she came as fast as she could. However, once she saw the picture of the Yondaime on the floor and the look on Kurotsuchi's face she realized with unease what was happening.

but before Yugao could say anything, Kurotsuchi once again ignored them and ran from the library, pushing aside the ANBU on her way out and ignoring the yells of reprimands from the librarian and Yugao.

She ran as tears of sadness and rage rolled down her cheeks. She reminisced all the signs that had been there and that she had been too stupid to notice. It all made sense now; Jinchuuriki were always chosen from people close to a Kage, now she knew why her grandpa had risked so much to capture and kill Naruto, why Naruto felt so much admiration for the fourth, and the way that Deidara had acted when she confronted him. _'_

 _'You'll find out soon enough''_ Deidara's mocking words echoed through her mind as she shook her head to get rid of them. She didn't want to hear them, she didn't want to hear him making fun of her in her own mind.

She halted only when she ran out of breath, stopping to lean on a lamppost. This had to be a bad dream, a nightmare. She wished this could be a bad joke, but no, the reality was clear: Naruto was the Yondaime's son.

Finally admitting it to herself made it even worse. She felt a knot form in her stomach. Naruto was the son of the man that had been responsible for the defeat of her village; The same man that was still to this day the most hated Shinobi in Iwagakure; and the very same piece of trash who killed her mother. And she had fallen in love with that man's own flesh and blood. She brought a hand to her mouth in disgust as that thought settled in. Naruto was the Yondaime's son and she had lived with him, laughed with him, kissed him and cherished him. Now she really felt like she may throw up and she did her best to avoid it while her rage boiled inside of her.

Yugao dropped down across the street from where Kurotsuchi was. She finally caught up with the girl. She eyed warily the Iwa Kunoichi, she could guess the turmoil of emotions she had to be feeling right now and that made her unpredictable. But still, the girl was a friend too, sort of. And she wanted to help her calm down, for all their sakes. ''Kurotsuchi'' Said Yugao as she slowly approached the girl.

Kurotsuchi didn't react to her call, so she tried again. ''Kurotsuchi, listen to me''

''You knew, didn't you?'' Muttered Kurotsuchi, so low that Yugao barely heard her.

The ANBU stopped, feeling the tension in the air rise.

''You knew didn't you!?'' Repeated Kurotsuchi with more heat as she turned to look at Yugao with eyes full of betrayal.

Yugao looked at the girl serenely before responding. ''I had a suspicion'' It was true. There were rumors in the ANBU about it, rumors that came from members that were old enough to remember the Yondaime and his wife along with the Kyuubi attack.

''A suspicion?!'' Repeated the irate girl. ''Like I would believe that bullshit!'' And to think she had trusted Yugao, and Naruto, and all her so-called friends. She should have known better than to trust Konoha Shinobi.

''You have to calm yourself,'' Said Yugao. ''You aren't thinking clearly right now. Go home and rest and sort your-''

''There you are, Kurotsuchi!''

Both girls froze at the voice of the newest arrival, but for different reasons.

''I've been looking all over the place for you!'' Said Naruto with a bright smile as he approached the girls. He was starting to wonder if he was going to have to go on his training trip without telling her personally, good thing that didn't happen.

 _''Naruto, You have the worst timing!''_ Thought Yugao in alarm.

''Naruto...'' Kurotsuchi's tone of voice stopped Naruto dead in his tracks as his grin vanished.

''Kurotsuchi, is everything all right?'' Inquired the blond before he widened his eyes when a huge wave of oppressive killing intent washed over him.

Kurotsuchi turned to look at him with her eyes reflecting deep hurt, betrayal, and even hate. A look that left Naruto in shock. It had been a long time since he had seen Kurotsuchi give him such a harsh look.

''Naruto...'' Spat Kurotsuchi with disdain, even now seeing the Yondaime's face in Naruto's own. ''You..You piece of shit!'' then she rushed at him as she summoned her sword from a scroll, but before she could reach her target she found herself unable to continue as Yugao and her squad of ANBU appeared to restain her, with their blades at the ready to strike her in several vital organs.

''I'm going to kill you!'' Yelled Kuortsuchi at the still confused Naruto.

''Don't make me do this, girl'' Yugao warned Kurotsuchi from trying anything more if she didn't want to be put down.

Naruto stood motionless as he stared in shock and confusion at the girl he loved seething with rage as she glared at him from her restrained position. What was happening here?!

''Why are you doing this?!'' Said Naruto finally. Not able to think of anything to say aside from that at the moment.

''Why am I doing this?! Because I should have done this since the day I met you!'' Shouted Kurotsuchi, struggling against the ANBU's restrains.

''I don't get it! I don't even know what is happening here!'' Responded Naruto in desperation.

''You really are a moron!'' Said Kurotsuchi, feeling as much of a moron as him for failing no to notice until today. ''You are the Yondaime's son!''

Naruto couldn't find his breath at the revelation. His dad was the Yondaime?...''No, that...'' Muttered Naruto in disbelief.

''That's right, I did some research into it!'' Responded Kurotsuchi. ''And turns out your dear daddy is the worst piece of human trash in history!''

''I...I didn't know that!'' Said Naruto.

''I don't give a shit!'' Said the girl. ''Your bastard of a dad killed my mom!''

''I won't say this again,'' Said Yugao as she held her own blade closer to Kurotsuchi's throat. ''Drop your weapon and stop struggling''

Kurotsuchi still shot glares at Naruto for a moment, but in the end she decided that she wasn't going to die a useless death, not for that man's son. So she dropped her sword and relaxed her body, letting her killing intent subside.

Yugao sighed, glad that the stupid girl didn't force her to kill her. ''Escort her to her apartment and make sure she stays there for the day. Tsunade-Sama will decide what to do with her later'' She ordered her ANBU, who then proceeded to restrain the girl's arms before taking her away but not before she shot Naruto one last cold glare.

With that taken care of, Yugao turned to look at Naruto as her features softened. she felt genuinely sorry for the boy. He knew how much he cared for the girl and to see her threatening him like that and to drop a bombshell of his heritage on top of it had to be hard.

Naruto for his part, was focused on the blade in his hands as he looked at it in sorrow. He had picked the sword after Kurotsuchi had been taken away and he stared at it as looking for an answer to this predicament. How could everything turn out this way so quickly? And after how well things were going with Kurotsuchi. He didn't even have much time to ponder on who his dad was, he was much more concerned about the way his most precious person had talked to him; the way she looked at him. It hurt him more than any wound she could have inflicted on him.

''I'm sorry about what happened, Naruto,'' Said Yugao with pity. ''Why don't you go to clear your mind? I think you both need it''

Naruto just nodded silently before he went away, sword in hand. But unbeknownst to Yugao he had other ideas in mind.

The purple-haired woman stared at the retreating form of Naruto with sadness. She felt bad for the boy but if she was honest things were better off this way. At least now they wouldn't continue their taboo relationship even if it had come with great hurt for both of them. Yes, things were better this way. But she couldn't help but feel as if they weren't.

-Kurotsuchi's apartment-

''And stay there'' Said the ANBU as he pushed Kurotsuchi inside her apartment. ''Don't make further trouble. We have our eye on you''

And with that, the ANBU exited the apartment.

As soon as she was left alone she unleashed her restrained anger and kicked the coffee table, sending it flying. She gave a yell of frustration as she continued to thrash her apartment, or should she say Naruto's apartment. He paid for it so it was his. She had been a stupid and naive little girl to think of this place as home, this wasn't her home it was a prison and everyone here was her enemy. She cursed herself again and again as she took her frustration out on the furniture around her until she tired herself out.

Once she was done she made her way to her bathroom and leaned on the sink, looking at herself in the mirror. She could curse Konoha, the Yondaime, and Naruto all she wished but the one she cursed the most was herself. She had been so stupid, a complete and utter moron for ever feeling comfortable here; for letting herself feel like she had with Naruto. She had fallen in love with the son of her village's worst enemy. What would her father say? or her grandfather? What if her mother could see her now? She saw her reflection in her mirror and she could only think that she was looking at a traitor. A dirty traitor who had let herself be won over by the Yondaime's son. She threw a punch at the mirror, shattering it. She couldn't stand to see her own face right now. She felt dirty. She didn't even care for the pain in her hand or the blood dripping from her wound as it was nothing compared to the pain inside of her.

''Kurotsuchi''

She turned to the source of the voice that had come from inside her apartment and she frowned in anger when she recognized it. She exited the bathroom to find Naruto entering through the kitchen window.

Naruto seemed to take a moment to see the mess she had made of her apartment but it didn't take long for him to divert his sad eyes to her.

''What are you doing here?'' Asked the girl with venom dripping from her voice.

''I had to talk to you,'' Said Naruto. It had taken him a lot of effort to make a distraction for the ANBU patrolling this side of the building but it was necessary, he needed to have this conversation. ''And I had to return this to you'' Added the boy as he tossed her her mother's sword which she promptly caught by the handle.

Kurotsuchi examined the blade before returning her attention to him. ''The ANBU can't protect you here, you know that'' Said the girl as she pointed her sword at him. He had to be the biggest fool there was for coming here without anyone looking out for him and returning her her weapon on top of it. But again, this was Naruto she was talking about.

''I needed to talk to you,'' Said Naruto softly. ''I want to clear things out. You have to understand-''

''Shut up,'' Interrupted Kurotsuchi. ''Just shut up. I don't care what you want. In fact, what I want is for you to die in a hole. Nothing that you can say will make me change my mind''

Naruto looked hurt at her words but he steeled himself to face her. ''You can't mean that''

''I do,'' Insisted the girl with malice. ''Nothing would make me happier right now than have you out of my life for good''

Naruto stared at the floor in sorrow. It seemed that this was in vain, she didn't really seem to want to forgive him.

Kurotsuchi waited for him to respond, her sword still pointed at him. Then she heard him talk again.

''If I died, would that really make you happy?'' Said Naruto.

''Of course it would. Nothing would give me more pleasure than doing it myself'' Spat the girl.

''I see..'' Said Naruto as he started walking towards her.

''Don't get close, idiot! I said stop!'' Kurotsuchi threatened him but he continued to approach her. ''I'll really kill you!''

''Then do it'' Said Naruto as he grabbed her sword by the blade and pointed the tip directly at his heart much to Kurotsuchi's surprise. ''If that is what you really want''

Kurotsuchi bared her teeth at his bold action. ''Do you really want to die?''

''If that's what will make you happy,'' Responded Naruto as he looked at her with resolution. ''I can see that I have hurt you deeply and I can think of no other way to make up for it.''

''Shut up'' Said Kurotsuchi. She didn't want to hear him say he wanted her to be happy. He didn't have the right, not after all of this.

''All I want is for you to be happy and I'll give my life for that if I have to,'' Said Naruto. ''Because I lo-''

''Don't say it. Don't you fucking say it!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she closed her eyes, tears threatening to fall. Why was this so hard? She just had to give little push to her sword and this was all over, she would get rid of him once and for all.

Her hand trembled as Naruto waited patiently for her decision. She tried to force herself to do it, she told herself she wanted to do it that she had to. But something in her kept her hand from moving and in the end she pulled her blade away and dropped it on the floor.

Naruto looked softly at her, glad to see her calm down. But he was then knocked to the floor by a right hook from her. He brought a hand to his cheek in shock.

''I'm not going to get myself killed for just to kill your worthless ass,'' Said Kurotsuchi with a glare. ''You are not worth it. You want to make me happy? then leave. I don't want to see you ever again''

Naruto stood up, still holding his cheek as he stared at her with pained eyes. ''I understand'' Said the blond before turning around and exiting the room from the same way he had come from.

Once outside, Naruto could see the ANBU nearby get visibly shaken once he saw him exit the place, no doubt worrying if he was okay and berating himself for letting him slip by and not realizing he had gone in. However, Naruto didn't care for any of that. His mind was more preoccupied with the loss of his best friend.

He dropped down unto the floor and he clenched his fist in impotence. It wasn't fair. Why did he always have to pay for his dad's mistakes? He was stuck with the fox inside of him due to his dad which ruined his life and he killed the mother of the girl he loved, costing him his relationship. If only Ero-Sennin was here he would know what to say to him. This really was the worst possible way to learn that his dad was the Yondaime. And to think that he would have been ecstatic to know that just a few months earlier.

''There you are, Naruto''

Naruto turned to see Kakashi approaching him.

''Kakashi-Sensei? Why are you here?'' Asked Naruto lacking his usual joyful attitude.

''Fukasaku-Sama sent me to find you'' Explained Kakashi. ''And I heard from Yugao what happened with Kurotsuchi''

''I see'' Said Naruto as he glanced at the floor.

By Naruto's reaction, Kakashi could tell that things didn't go as planned. But considering that he was still alive things could have gone worse, which was why he came to find him immediately as he could guess that Naruto would try to sneak his way in to speak to Kurotsuchi.

''I know that things don't look good right now but give her time'' Said Kakashi. ''I'm sure she'll come around eventually. Meanwhile, you have to worry about the present. If you don't get stronger to beat Pain you won't have a future. You understand?''

Naruto nodded sternly. Kakashi-Sensei was right, he had to focus on his training right now as hard as it was. He would try to talk to Kurotsuchi again once he came back. Letting her have some time to herself would be good so she made up her mind on where their relationship stood.

Kakashi was glad that Naruto understood. It was a sign that he was maturing, even if a little bit. He guessed that Kurotsuchi also had a hand in that. ''Come then. Fukasaku-Sama is waiting''

Naruto nodded and with a heavy heart, he followed Kakashi towards the Hokage Tower.

Meanwhile, Kurotsuchi stared in frustration at the place Naruto had been standing moments before. She went over to her tattered sofa and sat down, bringing her palms to her face and bawled her eyes out.

She knew she had to hate him, but she just couldn't. Her heart wouldn't let her. She damned Naruto for making her fall for him and she damned herself for letting herself fall for him. But above all, she hated her circumstances. If only the Yellow Flash wasn't Naruto's dad, if only she wasn't from Iwa. Why did this have to happen to her? She really must have to be the world's shittiest person to deserve this kind of karma.

And so she cried herself to sleep that night, on the same sofa that she had been resting so carefree earlier that morning.

 **Author's notes:**

 **I did say this chapter was going to be fun, kinda. Fun for me that is not much for you guys. Sorry about that.**

 **And the only reason this was fun for me is that I had planned this chapter since even before I started writing this fic. Sure I tweaked some things here and there from my original vision but it's still the same mostly.**

 **Anyway, I hope I didn't take too long in updating this time and I hope I don't take long to update again.**

 **And please feel free to tell me what you thought of this chapter, no matter if you loved it, hated it, or whatnot. Since this was such a crucial chapter for me I really would love the extra feedback. That is if you guys want, of course. Just knowing that you even bother to read my work is enough for me.**

 **See you guys next time!**


	36. Chapter 36: Letting Go

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 36: Letting Go

Kurotsuchi held her legs close to herself as she rested her head on her knees. She stared blankly at a crack in the wall. Despite the sadness that welled up inside of her she couldn't cry anymore, she felt as if her tears had all dried up by now.

She felt weak and filthy. She had barely eaten, slept, or showered for three days. She didn't care for her pitiful state, she deserved it. She wished she could just disappear. She couldn't do anything right; she had fallen in love with the worst person she could have chosen, disgracing herself, her village, and her family. No, it hadn't been enough that she failed her mission of capturing Naruto, but she just had to end up as Konoha's prisoner and got infatuated with her original target.

If only she hadn't failed her mission that time, if only she had been strong enough to get Naruto to Iwa and get the Kyuubi extracted none of this would be happening, she wouldn't be so miserable right now. _''But he would have died''_ Said a voice in the back of her mind. So what if the moron had died!? She wouldn't have cared then as she wouldn't have known him, she wouldn't have been contaminated by his sweet words, noble behavior, or his bright smile that reflected nothing but selflessness.

She buried her face in her legs in frustration. She wished she had never met him. Her life would be so simple right now is she hadn't. She would be going out on the field, basking in glory and taking names, getting ready to become Tsuchikage and stand proud and tall when the day to inherit the hat came. But then Naruto came into her life and flipped it upside down and she had let him. She had actually started to feel comfortable here because of him. He made her think that she could have a life in this place; she even made friends and found love, or so she had thought. She had gone soft and all because of him.

But what could she do now? She couldn't stay here forever alternating between moping and throwing temper tantrums like she had done so for the past three days. As much as she wanted to just crawl into a ball and pretend she didn't exist she knew she had to decide her next course of action. She needed some fresh air to clear her head. In times of crisis was when one needed to try and keep a level head and consider their options. She almost laughed at the notion. Like she could keep a level head at the moment. But still, she had to try.

And with that, she stood up, her numb legs stumbling for a bit as she did. She didn't even bother to take a shower, she just took her pouch and put on her sandals before exiting her apartment with some trepidation.

As soon as she got out she glanced around warily for the ANBU. She wasn't sure if she was allowed to leave yet but seeing that the nearby ANBU overseeing her from the treetops didn't seem to make a move to stop her she guessed she was in the clear. Still, she could tell that they were watching her moves closely even more so than usual, most likely in case she went berserk again.

She didn't care though. She just wanted to take a walk and if no one bothered her she wouldn't bother anyone either.

Seeing that the ANBU weren't going to stop her, she proceeded to leave her apartment complex, walking down the stairs and going into the village with no particular destination in mind.

-a couple hours later-

Kurotsuchi had been walking aimlessly for a while now. She had opted in avoiding the busy streets as she wanted to be alone and decided to stick to the outer parts of the village as it was mostly forest. The green scenery and the fresh scent of nature was a bit relaxing thankfully, but it did little to help her turbulent mind.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone else until she was too close. She halted immediately as soon as she noticed the other person, she diverted her gaze from to ground to look at Kakashi who was standing a few feet away with his back turned to her.

She felt ashamed of her lack of awareness as she had almost run into the copy ninja. But before she could go away and leave the man be, he turned around to acknowledge her presence.

''Kurotsuchi, good to see you up and well'' greeted the Sharingan user cordially.

''Hi'' Said Kurotsuchi drily. She wasn't in the mood to be talking to anyone right now, especially the Yondaime's prized student.

''I take that you are not here to pay respects?'' Asked Kakashi, seeing her state of disarray.

Kurotsuchi wondered what the man meant until she noticed the monument that was in front of Kakashi: a rather big flat dark stone in the shape of a Kunai's blade with names carved on the front. She recognized what it was, it was a memorial stone. Those were used to carve the names of Shinobi who had been killed on the field. Every village had them, Kurotsuchi herself had gone plenty of times to the one in her village to pay respect to her mother's memory.

''That's what you were doing?'' Asked Kurotsuchi. She hadn't expected to find the copy ninja brooding in here, he always seemed too easy going and relaxed.

''That's right. I come here often'' Said Kakashi before he returned his focus to the stone.

Kurotsuchi was intrigued, even if a little bit. To find the famous copy ninja grieving over someone, it made her feel compelled to ask him about it. ''Who are you here for?''

Kakashi took a deep breath before responding. ''Lots of people, but mostly my old teammates. They died on the last war''

Kurotsuchi frowned at that. So they died during the third great ninja war? Then that meant that...

Kakashi eyed the girl knowingly, already guessing what she was thinking. ''Don't stress over it. It was a long time ago''

Kurotsuchi tightened her fists at Kakashi's casual response. How could he be so nonchalant about it? ''Do you hate us?''

Kakashi looked at her curiously. ''Hmmm?''

''Do you hate us?!'' Kurotsuchi repeated a bit more heated. ''You must hate Iwa for taking away your precious teammates, right?''

Kakashi regarded her for a moment before he turned to the monument again. ''Not really''

Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth at that. ''Bullshit! You can't possibly forgive us so easily! If I was in your place I would hate you with a passion! Hell, I already hate all of you tree-huggers!''

''And what would hating you do for me exactly?'' Asked Kakashi serenely, seemingly not bothered at all by her outburst.

''For one thing, You could try and get revenge!'' Said Kurotsuchi. ''You must want that at the very least! We killed your friends for fucks sake!''

''Someone killed my friends'' corrected Kakashi. ''Not you or your kin. I won't condemn the entirety of Iwa for that. A Handful of your Shinobi did it. And even if I tracked those men down and killed them I would just be taking away loved ones from someone else senselessly''

''But they already took someone from you! It would be deserved!'' Said Kurotsuchi in anger.

''War puts people in a difficult position'' said Kakashi. ''You either kill or do nothing and let your friends get killed. We all had to make that choice at the time. I can't blame other ninjas for choosing to fight for their home''

Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth in impotence. She could not relate to Kakashi at all in this and she didn't understand how could he let go of his hatred so easily. But in a way, the way he talked about this matters reminded her a lot of what her dad used to say.

''In this world of ours nothing is ever so simple'' Said Kakashi. He could tell that she was troubled. He couldn't blame her. The girl was talented, extremely so even, but she was still young and her emotions were still fragile. She had yet to form a foundation for her character and she seemed to have most trouble than most due to her unique circumstances. ''If you let hatred dictate your life you will be consumed by it and you will find it impossible to end up happy. I failed to make Sasuke realize this, so I hope that at least you listen''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that. Was she really acting like that asshole? She couldn't accept that she and Sasuke were alike in any way, shape, or form!

''You and he seem to be battling a lot of the same demons. I can only hope that you do it better than he did,'' Said Kakashi as he put a hand on her shoulder in support. ''Anyway, I'll be going now. It was good talking to you'' finished Kakashi as he started to walk away.

Kurotsuchi trembled in frustration. She hated being compared to the Uchiha bastard. She turned to the retreating form of Kakashi with her anger on full display. ''I'm not you! I can't simply stop feeling all this hatred just because you say so!''

''You are the one who has to find your own reasons and decide if you can or can't. No one else will be able to do it for you,'' Said Kakashi without turning around as he made his way into the village. ''I'll be seeing you around''

Kurotsuchi could kind of understand what Kakashi was getting at but she was still enraged. She was not so forgiving. Her mother had died in the war, and a lot of older relatives that she never even had the chance to meet perished too just because Konoha and the Yellow Flash killed them. She could not forget just like that, and even if she did her village hated Konoha, she would not give her back to Iwa. She would be betraying the memory of everyone that died if she let that offense go.

Seeing that there was no point in remaining here, she left the area too, giving one last lingering glance at the memorial stone before going away.

After that, it had been a few minutes of waking and she still couldn't forget the words of the Sharingan user. What If she really ended up consumed by her hatred? Was she so similar to Sasuke in that way? She didn't want to entertain the thought. She wasn't like him! There was no way she had anything in common with that bastard.

She walked down the forest path for a few minutes until she found a river down a small hill.

She thought it was a nice spot to rest and sort her thoughts since the copy ninja left her a lot to think about.

As she approached the river the pleasant smell of humid soil eased her mind as she sat down on the small hill, resting her head on one knee as she contemplated the sun rays gently reflecting on the crystalline water.

However, while she meditated she didn't see Sai and Ino watching her from behind one of the nearby trees.

''Finally, it has been days since she last let herself be seen'' muttered Ino as she stared intently at the Iwa Kunoichi.

''I heard she had been hiding in her apartment'' added Sai.

''And if we let her go back to her place without doing anything who knows when she'll come back out'' said Ino.

''Ino-San are you sure about this? Don't you think we could make this situation worse?'' Said Sai.

''I don't think we can worsen the situation even if we tried,'' Said Ino with guilt. They had been partly responsible for that mess with Naruto the other day. They had destroyed so much progress in Kurotsuchi and Naruto's relationship with their carelessness. As soon as she got wind of what had happened she had Sai go and ask Yugao what the deal with Kurotsuchi was and now everything made sense. ''We at least have to try to fix this''

''It doesn't matter that she is the next Tsuchikage and Naruto is the son of the Yondaime?'' Inquired Sai. When they had started playing matchmaker with Naruto and Kurotsuchi they hadn't know that he was the son of the Yondaime and that it made it delicate for the Tsuchikage's granddaughter to be with him, but that didn't seem to make Ino back down.

''That's even more of a reason for us to do something,'' Said Ino, causing Sai to raise an eyebrow in confusion. ''Think about it, if she really becomes the next Tsuchikage whats better for us: that she hates Naruto or that she loves him?''

Sai took a minute to think about it. That actually made sense. He couldn't find a rebuttal for that.

''Exactly,'' said Ino when she noticed that Sai understood her point of view. ''Now let's do something before she goes away''

And so, Ino and Sai left the cover of the tree and approached Kurotsuchi.

Said Iwa Kunoichi sensed them coming and just spared them a quick glance before returning her attention to the river.

Ino ignored her rude attitude and leaned towards the moody girl.

''Do you mind if we sit down?'' Ino asked in a friendly manner.

Kurotsuchi shrugged uncaringly. ''It's your village, do whatever the hell you want''

Even if the reception wasn't the most welcoming, Ino sat down beside Kurotsuchi along with Sai.

Kurotsuchi glanced at them suspiciously. She knew that they had to be up to something.

 _''Goodness, she looks terrible. It's even worse in close proximity''_ thought Ino silently as she regarded Kurotsuchi's current appearance. She had dark bags under her reddened eyes, which looked even redder with her natural pink eyes; her hair was was messy with a few wild strands sticking out at random parts of her head, and her clothes were rugged and didn't look fresh. All in all, it looked like she hadn't taken proper care of herself in days.

''What a beautiful day, isn't it?'' Said Ino lamely in an effort to break the ice.

Kurotsuchi responded with a disinterested huff.

Ino could have facepalmed at her opening. That was the best she could come up with? She was almost as bad as Sai-Kun. She had to get her act together, she was a Yamanaka, Konoha's best mind specialists. That also made them the best psychologists too, and this was Ino's chance to put it into practice.

''You left us so suddenly at the library the other day,'' Said Ino. ''Why was that?''

''Cut the crap, Yamanaka,'' Said Kurotsuchi in impatience. ''You already know what happened. You wouldn't be here if you didn't, so stop playing dumb''

Ino gave a sigh of exasperation. ''Fine, I'll just cut to the chase. The way you acted, that wasn't fair to Naruto at all''

''I don't want to be given a lecture by you'' Replied Kurotsuchi.

''Stop acting like an overgrown kid, then. These temper tantrums are ridiculous '' Said Ino, earning a glare from the prodigy which caused the mind reader to shudder at the intensity.

''You have no right to be talking about things you don't understand!'' Barked Kurotsuchi, finally her anger getting the best of her and making Ino recoil at her rage.

''You want to tell me that I'm being unreasonable, that my actions are a tantrum?! You who probably never had anyone close to you die and had to face the people responsible!?'' Yelled Kurotsuchi, making Ino cower and Sai frown in displeasure at the girl's rudeness. ''Not only that but you've never had the pressure of behaving properly in the face of an entire village and you never will!''

''H-How mean!'' Said Ino offended. ''Just because I haven't gone through what you have doesn't mean I can't offer some insight''

''Like hell you can!'' Kurotsuchi sneered. ''You are just a pampered little girl who hasn't had to face a single hardship in her life!''

''Ino-San is just trying to help'' Said Sai at last, with an angry frown of his own, surprising both girls. He was usually very composed but he couldn't keep listening silently as Kurotsuchi badmouthed both Ino and Naruto.

''I didn't ask for your opinion, faggot!'' snarled Kurotsuchi as she directed her focus to Sai.

''I don't care'' Said Sai defiantly, surprising Kurotsuchi even further. ''Ino-San and Naruto are your friends, that is no way of treating them. Especially Naruto who has done nothing but support you and cherish you''

Kurotsuchi was quick to recover her wit, baring her teeth in rage at Sai's insolence. ''That is none of your concern! How can you expect that guy to be my friend when his shit of a father killed my mother?!''

''Naruto is not his dad'' Sai shot back. ''You are not the only one who has suffered because of the fourth. Naruto has had to endure more than you have when his own father made him carry the burden of being the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. He is probably the person who can understand your pain the most and you are willing to throw away his friendship for the actions of a dead man''

Kurotsuchi didn't know how to respond to that. She couldn't think of an argument against Sai's logic.

''I may not know much about being happy,'' Continued Sai. ''But even I could tell you were happy with him and nothing but yourself is keeping you from that''

Kurotsuchi frowned. It wasn't that easy. ''You don't get it, do you? I'm not allowed to be happy with him. My village-''

''Your village shouldn't dictate those things. You are going to be Tsuchikage, right?'' Said Sai, causing Kurotsuchi to widen her eyes. ''If you are going to be a leader learn to lead, to think for yourself. Instead of letting other people decide what you should do, you have to do what you know is right despite what others think, that's what a proper leader would do''

Kurotsuchi found herself at a lose of words once again. She had never thought of it that way.

''You are so concerned about upholding your village's hatred for Konoha that you are willing to sacrifice your own happiness, and for nothing!'' By the time Sai finished he found himself out of breath, he hadn't meant to shout like that, he typically didn't lose his cool, he had been trained better than that. And he knew he had surprised the girls as he could feel the piercing gazes of amazement from both of them which made him feel self-conscious of his tirade. ''Excuse me'' And with that, Sai stood up and retreated into the village.

Ino stared agape at the retreating Sai a moment longer before she forcibly shook off her shock. ''Y-Yeah, what he...said'' Said Ino to Kurotsuchi before giving her an awkward wave of goodbye and followed Sai.

Once left alone, Kurotsuchi pondered on what the ROOT member had just said, surprised not only for his uncharacteristic ramblings but also because of how much of what he had said was true. She didn't just hate Konoha because the Yellow Flash killed her mother, she also hated It because that's what they were supposed to do. In Iwa it was almost an unspoken rule that you had to hate Konoha, that's just how things were supposed to be. It made it feel like you weren't a true Iwa citizen unless you despised Konoha with a passion. And she had always strived to be a model citizen, as a Tsuchikage prospect she had to be the perfect Iwa Shinobi. She had never considered that maybe she didn't have to hate Konoha, not without feeling like a traitor to Iwa's cause.

If she really was completely honest with herself, Konoha's people weren't so different from her home. They weren't the heartless pricks they had been brought up to believe they were. Was hating them just because really justified? She had met a lot of people in here, people that had tried to be her comrade and be there for her. Had they been from Iwa she wouldn't give it a second thought to call them wonderful friends of hers. Could she really choose not to despise Konoha? Could she even reverse years of conditioning to do so?

Then there was the issue with Naruto. The pale idiot was right, she had indeed been happy with Naruto, happier than she had ever remembered being. Just having Naruto by her side made everything better. While she had been with him she had forgotten that she was a prisoner, not only that but she hadn't even minded as she barely even felt like one. His bright and good-natured aura that surrounded him even made her forget her hatred for Konoha. She almost wished she had never found out he was the Yondaime's son. But that was a fact that she could not change. He was the child, the flesh and blood of her mother's murderer. She could wish all she wanted but that reality was never going to change.

However, Naruto himself wasn't like the Yondaime. The only way he could be more distant from the man is if he wasn't his child. Naruto never even knew his father, he wasn't raised by him and he more than likely didn't act like him. And it was true that he had been screwed by the Yondaime even worse than she had. Due to the Kyuubi he never even had anyone growing up, she at least had had her grandpa, her dad, and even Akatsuchi. Naruto had been all alone and everything because of his own father.

When she looked at it like that she felt guilty. Guilt at having taken years of hatred out on Naruto. He was innocent. He had never done anything to her. He was the most selfless and righteous person she knew. But even still...every time she thought of the Yellow Flash, or her mother, she could feel her unyielding hatred starting to overtake her. She just couldn't forget, not like that.

She took out a scroll and in a puff of smoke she summoned her sword. She held the weapon firmly by the scabbard as she examined it with sad eyes. Not only was this her mother's blade, but also the sword that Naruto had fixed for her. It wasn't just a memento of her dead mother anymore but also a token of her friendship with Naruto.

Looking at it reminded her of all the good times she had had with the blond; all the times she laughed at the antics he did to lift her mood, the times he had been there to comfort her through hard times, the times they showed how much they meant to the other and how good she felt with him beside her, and even the times they simply enjoyed each other's presence in comfortable silence. She tightened her grip on the sword as a teardrop hit the weapon. She didn't want to lose all those memories. She was so tired of all of this. She just wanted to feel happy again like she had done so just days before.

Kakashi was right, Sai was right; All these negative emotions, they were an anchor, an anchor that kept her from feeling true joy. It was time to do what her heart told her was right and not what she had been conditioned to think was right. From now on she was the one who was going to decide what it was right or wrong for her to feel. She knew that it wasn't going to happen overnight and that her resentment towards Konoha wasn't going to be easy to forget, but she was going to try and see them for what they truly were and not what the bitter elders from Iwa wanted her to believe. And as for Naruto, she would never be able to change who his dad was but she would treat him as his own person, not the son of the Yellow Flash or anyone else, but the kind young man that she had chosen to give her heart to.

She closed her eyes, feeling as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She wasn't going to be a slave to hatred. She was better than that, she knew she could be better than that. She wasn't going to let the stupid Yondaime ruin her own happiness, she was going to carve her own path and destiny. She just wished that Naruto lent her his support in this ordeal like he had done it countless times in the past, but most importantly she prayed that he could forgive her for all she had done.

She stood up, having found her resolve. She didn't feel as if the path before her was shrouded in doubt anymore. Now everything was clear to her. And she wasn't going to back down from this, just like Naruto never gave up she wasn't going to either. They were both going to become Kage and she needed to be up to par.

But now, she had to return to her place and get some proper rest and something to eat. Not to mention a shower. She also had to either buy new furniture or fix the ones she broke. Anyway, she was going to be busy while Naruto came back.

She started to make her way into the village again with a much clearer mind, when suddenly she heard a loud booming noise at the distance coupled with the terrified screams from a crowd of people.

Kurotsuchi stared at the village in alarm, where she could see smoke rising from a building far away in the distance. Soon another booming sound was heard and the top of a tall building exploded, accompanied by even more frantic screams. ''What the hell is happening!?'' Asked Kurotsuchi out loud as she stared at a dust of cloud starting to cover a part of Konoha due to the falling debris.

She made a run for the village and as she did she could see several of the ANBU usually guarding her going on ahead to check on the issue. That was further proof that what was happening had to be something serious if the ANBU had given priority to it than to her.

As she got closer, the screams of the people got louder and she started spotting corpses littered through ruined streets and buildings.

Kurotsuchi had a sinking feeling in her stomach. She had a guess on who could be bold enough to attack Konoha as they had done it before to her own village.

Then, as she doubled a corner, her fears were confirmed as she found a Konoha Chunin on his knees while a tall orange-haired man pulled some kind of clear substance from the man's head. The Chunin fell to the ground, dead as Kurotsuchi stared in anger and shock at the enemy before her.

He was wearing a black robe with red clouds, had a slashed Amegakure headband on his forehead, had black piercings in his nose and cheeks, but his most striking feature were his purple eyes with a ripple pattern that stared coldly at her with a stoic face.

Kurotsuchi remembered those eyes, she had seen them once before back in that cave when they faced Deidara.

''Akatsuki'' sneered Kurotsuchi as she got into a battle stance.

The man seemed to tense himself too for the encounter before he narrowed his purple eyes at her in recognition. ''You...''

Kurotsuchi didn't give the man the chance to finish before she rushed at him, sword at the ready to slice him in half. _''This is payback! For me, for Iwa, and for Naruto!''_

 **Author's notes:**

 **Surprise! Fast update! You guys didn't expect me to leave you too long in that last cliffhanger, did you? I'm not that evil...**

 **Wow, that last chapter had some polarizing opinions it seems. Cmon guys, I have been building that confrontation since forever. Obviously the drama wasn't quite over yet.**

 **And for those that think that Kurotsuchi changed her mind too easily; the point was that she was already struggling with her conflicted feelings. Deep down she was already getting over her hatred but she felt as if she had to hold on to it. Normally I don't explain these kinds of things in the authors' note but I wanted to make it clear just in case I didn't do a good enough job explaining within the context of the story.**

 **Also, I was under the impression that Minato and Kushina's relationship wasn't a public secret only her pregnancy was to keep the population from worrying about her weakening seal. But I could be wrong on that.**

 **Anyway, this has been a long enough note. I'm excited I had already planned all of this since the day I started writing the story and it seems like such a long wait. It's very satisfying to finally get to this point.**

 **See you guys next time! Please tell me your thoughts in a review or a PM.**


	37. Chapter 37: True Pain

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 37: True Pain

Kurotsuchi rushed at the orange-haired man, who dodged the slash aimed at his chest before he tried to use the opening she left to try and reach her with his hold. However, Kurotsuchi was faster than he was and she quickly recovered, using her former momentum to throw another swing at the Akatsuki member.

The man quickly jumped back to avoid her blade but couldn't stop the sword from slicing his arm. He created some distance between them to hold his blood-soaked limb as he analyzed Kurotsuchi with a critical eye.

Kurotsuchi also took this chance to survey the damage she had done as She smirked in satisfaction. The fight had just started and she had already inflicted a nasty wound on her opponent. It was too soon to tell but it seemed as if this guy wasn't that skilled compared to the Akatsuki she had faced in the past. Still, she knew that there had to be other Akatsuki on the loose. The fact that no one else had arrived yet to help her meant that the other ninja had to be busy with greater threats.

And right on cue with her guess, Kurotsuchi heard a loud shriek thundering all around her. Following that, she saw a giant bird starting to circle the sky above her. She managed to see that the animal had thee legs and a drill-like beak along with the same purple eyes as the man she was fighting. She guessed that the bird had to be a summon if its bizarre appearance was any indication.

She didn't have time to wonder anything more about the strange creature before it dived at her with surprising speed.

Kurotsuchi threw herself to the side, evading the bird as it went past her and returned to the safety of the sky. She cursed under her breath. That had been closer than it should have been. She felt her body to be slower and weaker than usual, no doubt because of her neglect in taking care of herself these past days and missing some proper nourishment and rest. She knew that she had to end this quickly. In her weakened state she wasn't going to win a war of attrition.

The bird repeated its previous attack, once again diving rapidly in her direction.

Kurotsuchi made some hand seals before spitting a large stream of ash from her mouth. The bird veered to the side hastily and avoided the attack as the ash-like substance splattered itself all over the place but the bird kept its course towards the Kunoichi.

Seeing as her Jutsu failed, Kurotsuchi steeled herself for her next move. And as the giant bird was about to reach her, she jumped in the air at the last second, going over the summon as she made more hand seals. ''Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu!(Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' Kurotsuchi spat the biggest fireball she could muster that it enveloped the animal.

The bird gave a cry of agony as the fire collided with its back, taking it off-course before it crashed into a building that collapsed on top of it, burying the summon in debris.

Kurotsuchi sighed in relief, glad that the strange creature had been dealt with.

''You are wide open''

Kurotsuchi couldn't even dodge or turn around before she felt a hand grab her head from behind.

She went agape in shock when she felt her body go completely numb before she was brought to her knees.

 _''Damn it! I got careless''_ Kurotsuchi berated herself. She had been too busy dealing with the summon that she failed to sense the orange-haired guy from before sneaking up on her. She had underestimated how weakened her state was if her senses were failing her like this. Along with that, she could feel her thoughts getting less focused the longer the man had his hand on her.

The man for his part, just stood silently as he held her head with an impassive look on his face. ''Hmmm, so you and the Kyuubi are quite close'' muttered the man to himself.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at that comment. How had he know about that?!

''Maybe a bit too close'' Added the Akatsuki member condescendingly.

Realization hit Kurotsuchi as she finally figured that the bastard was somehow reading her mind. She barely had the strength to bare her teeth in fury. She felt violated to know that this guy was going through her most intimate thoughts as he pleased.

''Maybe if I kill you that will bring him here'' Commented the man before he started pulling a transparent substance from her.

Alarmed, Kurotsuchi felt as her remaining strength started to leave her body rapidly as if her very life force abandoned her. In her urgency, she barely summoned enough strength to move her fingers, commanding a chunk of the ash she spat before to shoot itself at the orange-haired man.

The Akatsuki member dodged the ash aiming for him, but at the cost of him releasing the girl as he stepped back.

As soon as Kurotsuchi was free from his grasp she slammed her palm on the ground, causing a large spike of rock to erupt behind her and impaling the Akatsuki member.

The man coughed up a ridiculous amount of blood as the sharp rock lifted him off the ground and went through his chest. He squirmed for a few seconds in vain before he finally stopped moving.

Kurotsuchi was on all fours as she took quick ragged breaths. Cold sweat rolled down her brow as she saw the drops of liquid hit the ground she was staring at. That had been too close. She had literally felt her life leaving her body back then. If she hadn't been able to pull off that last stunt she had no doubt in her mind that she would not be alive right now.

Finally, she stood up despite her shaky legs before she regarded the impaled man behind her who even in death still seemed to stare into her soul with those deep purple eyes.

She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the now deceased Akatsuki member. That guy had been so weak in direct combat but that ability of his was something that she had never experienced nor she wished to experience again. And that weird bird hadn't been normal either. Just what sort of freaks were they dealing with? With such bizarre Jutsus she couldn't afford to lower her guard even when they seemed like pushovers.

However, she had to continue on her way. These guys had to be looking for Naruto and she would be damned if she let them find him.

She gave one last look at the fallen Akatsuki to confirm his demise before she went further into the village.

After a while, she got closer to the center of the village and she now could properly survey the chaos around her. Buildings were being ruined left and right, the sounds of battle were everywhere around her both close and far while terrified civilians ran past her to seek refuge.

Then, she spotted a giant rhino smashing through a building and running off with numerous Shinobi following after the beast in an effort to stop it.

Kurotsuchi had the suspicion that there had to be more than a few of those summons rampaging Konoha if all the destruction around her was any indication.

She was about to give chase to the berserk animal when she noticed a cloaked figure slipping away through an alleyway.

Even though Kurotsuchi had barely managed to spot it had been enough to notice the red clouds on the figure's cloak. She quickly realized that the person had used the rhino as a distraction to slip by.

Kurotsuchi didn't waste any time to chase the Akatsuki. After following straight through the direction the mysterious person had run off she was led to a big building when she heard a pained scream that was shortly cut off coming from inside it.

Kurotsuchi regarded the place and noted that it was some kind of storage building.

She didn't want to run head first blindly into a place where an enemy could be waiting to ambush her, so she channeled some Chakra to her feet and silently ran up the side of the building to peek through a window and analyze the situation inside.

Once she had vision of the inside of the place she saw dozens of people crammed in the storage building. They didn't look like ninjas as they didn't have any kind of gear on them and were dressed in everyday clothes. Also, there were elderly and small children among them. Kurotsuchi knew that they had to be civilians refugees.

She also saw a dead Chunin by the door while another was being held in the air by his neck by a tall man wearing the Akatsuki uniform.

The man was bald but had metal spikes sticking out from the top of his head. He also had the same metal piercings and purple eyes as the rest of the invaders.

''Where is the Kyuubi?'' Asked the Akatsuki to the man in his grasp.

''I'm not selling out a comrade'' Said the Chunin with gritted teeth, barely managing to talk.

''Admirable, but futile all the same'' Said the man before he lifted his other arm as several tiny missiles protruded from it as if it were a machine and aimed at the crowd of people in the back of the building, ready to fire.

The civilians begged for mercy as other yelled for help while the small children and some of the adults cried in fear for their lives.

''You bastard!'' Said the Chunin with a deadly glare.

''If you care about these people's safety you will tell me where the Kyuubi is'' threatened the Akatsuki with his weapons at the ready.

''I don't know where he is'' spat the Chunin. ''I wasn't given details, I swear!''

''I see'' Said the man before he regarded the crowd of fearful civilians. ''I have no use for any of you, then''

''No! Run!'' Commanded the Chunin to the people but it was too late, in the next second the missiles from the Akatsuki's arm lit up and they homed towards the defenseless citizens.

The civilians cries for help and mercy were deafening. They quickly curled into a ball and braced themselves for the explosion. But before the missiles arrived a thick wall of stone arose from the earth, taking the brunt of the subsequent explosions and shielding them from the danger.

Realizing that they were still alive and unharmed, the people slowly started to stand up and open her eyes and saw a Kunoichi with her palms on the ground that had come between them and the oncoming attack. They quickly concluded that she was responsible for the protective wall that had saved their lives.

''Are you guys okay?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she stood up and turned to them. She didn't know what had Prompted her to act but she just couldn't stand by and see innocent people get slaughtered.

''We...we are fine'' muttered one man, noticing in surprise the Iwa headband on the girl's forehead. He recognized her, and he guessed that most people here did too. She was the Iwa Kunoichi that wandered around the village from time to time.

''Thank you! Thank you so much for saving us!'' Said a woman between tears as she held a crying baby in her arms.

''Don't thank me just get out of here!'' Said Kurotsuchi before she made some hand seals and slammed her palms on the ground, causing a chunk of rock to hurl its left from the floor to a wall and a section of it crumbled to the ground, creating an opening to the exterior. ''Go, now!''

The civilians were still a bit shaken from all this ordeal but they complied at once and started escaping through the hole.

Meanwhile, the Akatsuki member stared in wonder at the stone wall blocking his view from the people he had been trying to murder. Then, the earth in front of him erupted and Kurotsuchi came out of a hole in the ground, taking a swing of her sword towards him.

The Akatsuki member blocked the blade with the metallic contraption in his arm as Kurotsuchi pushed her attack.

He dropped the Chunin to the ground before a sharp black red emerged from his now free hand and lunged at the tomboy.

Kurotsuchi ducked under the attack and threw a kick at the man's stomach, putting some distance between them. ''Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu! (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)'' she spat a rather big fireball that forced the Akatsuki to retreat back outside to avoid it. _''Is he some sort of puppet or what?''_ Wondered the girl.

Taking advantage that the enemy was out of the immediate vicinity, Kurotsuchi turned to the downed Chunin. ''You there! Go and look for help, I'll hold this guy here!''

''Y-Yes at once!'' Said the Chunin as he got to his feet and rushed out of the building, knowing that he was no match for the Akatsuki member. The best course of action would be to retreat and get reinforcements.

Kurotsuchi also exited the building with haste to see the robotic man from before standing just outside.

The Akatsuki turned to see the Chunin rushing off into the village and he pointed another hand at him to stop him. This time, the fingers receded back into the hand as a cannon formed on the palm. Light started to gather in the cannon, preparing to fire. Then, just before he shot, an ash-like substance was hurled and stuck itself to the cannon, obstructing it and making it explode in self-destruction as the blast was trapped in the chamber.

The man turned to look at Kurotsuchi with a stoic look.

The Iwa Kunoichi stared at the missing arm of the Akatsuki with a smirk on her face. The man could have weird abilities but even he had to be at a disadvantage with only one arm.

Then, the Akatsuki grinned mockingly while Kurotsuchi stared in disgust and horror as two more faces materialized themselves at opposite sides of his head and he grew four more arms, two at each side.

 _''Oh crap''_ was the only thing Kurotsuchi had the chance to think before the freaky man extended all five of his arms to her and more missiles emerged from them and fired themselves, leaving a smoking trail as the rain of explosives homed on her.

She quickly spat yet another fireball that caught a good number of missiles and set them off, making the loud cloud of fire block her view of the man as the rest of the missiles still made their way to her.

She made another stone wall immediately in front of her, jumped on it with both feet sticking to it before using it as support to kick herself away, leaving a huge explosion behind as her wall was shattered by the missiles. As soon as she touched ground she jumped to the side to avoid another missile, and she started doing backflips as she left a trail of smaller explosions that she narrowly avoided with each jump she did.

Then, she found herself surrounded by the projectiles so she put her hands on the ground as a dome of earth was erected around her, making the last batch of missiles collide with it, enveloping the area in flames.

As soon as it was over, the dome collapsed and Kurotsuchi came out coughing and waving away the smoke and dust that clouded the entire vicinity.

Then, she let out a silent scream as a long metal blade pierced her back. The Akatsuki had used the smoke as cover to sneak behind her and impale her, only for her to disappear in a puff of smoke and five more copies of the girl came out of the surroundings with their blades poised to pierce the man from all sides.

The Akatsuki used his machine-like arms to catch each and every blade aimed at him, albeit just barely. He had been lucky that he had just enough arms as the girl had copies.

Kurotsuchi and all her clones gritted their teeth as they continued to push their blades at the man, slowly starting to slice into his limbs. She finally felt like she had him on the ropes. But a long tail-like blade came out the man's back as he swung it in a circular motion around him, dispelling all the clones and throwing Kurotsuchi away.

The girl hit the ground with a pained yell, and as she tried to get on her feet she let out a cream of agony at the pulsating pain in her leg. She brought a hand to her thigh to feel a deep cut along her leg. She saw in alarm the Akatsuki starting to approach her in her vulnerable state and she used her arms to back away as fast and far as she managed but it was still painfully slow due to her wound.

The man towered over her like a predator, his long blade hanging behind him like a scorpion tail ready to strike.

Kurotsuchi gripped her sword firmly, ready to parry the incoming attack despite her poor position on the ground.

The man raised his blade to skewer her when Kurotsuchi saw the area around the Akatsuki's head start to distort in an inward manner as if being sicked by a small black hole. The machine-like man realized too late what was happening before his head was sucked into the void and he fell unto the ground like a rag doll.

Kurotsuchi sighed in relief. that felt like the hundredth close call this day.

''Kurotsuchi!''

At that moment, Yugao landed beside Kurotsuchi and she kneeled down to check on her with a worried face. ''Are you alright? You are injured''

''I'll be fine'' Said Kurotsuchi with an uncomfortable grimace as Yugao checked on her wounded leg. Regardless, she was glad to see the ANBU captain.

''Luckily we arrived just in time'' Said Kakashi as he approached the two girls while covering his Sharingan eye with a hand in pain at having used the Kamui.

''We need to treat this wound,'' Said Yugao as she pulled out some bandages from her pouch. ''I'm not a medic but I can at least patch you up''

''Thank you'' replied Kurotsuchi before Yugao went to work on her leg, pouring some alcohol to disinfect the wound before she started wrapping it up.

''Did a Chunin tell you I was here?'' Asked Kurotsuchi, remembering the ninja she helped escape.

Kakashi nodded. ''Yeah. We crossed paths and told us you were fighting Pain''

''Pain?!'' Asked Kurotsuchi in surprise. ''The leader of Akatsuki?''

''The same,'' Said Kakashi. ''Or at least one of his bodies''

''What do you mean by that?'' Asked Kurotsuchi as she endured the pain of her injury while Yugao took care of it.

''It seems that Pain can control several bodies at once while the real one hides them from a safe distance,'' Explained Kakashi. ''That's why every one of them has the same eyes and they share the same field of vision''

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in realization. So that's why all the guys she fought had the same purple eyes. They were the same man. But she hadn't expected the leader of the Akatsuki to be such a freaking coward to hide while his meat puppets did all the work for him.

''It's done,'' declared Yugao as she finished adjusting the bandages. ''Can you walk?''

Kurotsuchi rose up slowly from the ground, wincing painfully and stumbling a bit as she did so but with some difficulty she found her footing. ''I'll manage'' Said the girl.

''Don't push yourself too hard,'' Said Kakashi. ''Leave the direct combat to us, you can give us support. In your current condition you are in no shape to be engaging Pain''

Kurotsuchi frowned in displeasure. She hated feeling useless in a fight but she knew that Kakashi was right, she wasn't going to be able to fight well like this. ''I understand''

Kakashi nodded in satisfaction, glad to see that she understood. ''Anyway, we should hurry. I heard that Tsunade-sama is going to fight Pain herself. We should back her up as soon as we can''

Kurotsuchi felt relief at the news. If the Hokage herself was going to take the fight to Pain this had to be over soon, right?

''Wait, guys. What is that?'' Interrupted Yugao as she pointed to something in the sky.

Kurotsuchi focused her eyes in an effort to see better. She could indeed see something floating over the village but whatever it was had to be very far away.

''I think it's a man'' commented Yugao as she analyzed the shape of the floating figure. ''How is he even flying?''

Kakashi narrowed his eyes at the figure in the sky. He had a bad feeling about this. That had to be another Pain. Whatever he was doing couldn't be good.

They stood still, waiting for the floating man to do something, when they heard a thundering sonic boom as they covered their eyes at the intensity and a massive shockwave was released from the man which started expanding with great speed, extending for miles as it touched the ground.

The trio looked in shock and disbelief as the shockwave starting tearing through the village in its wake, leaving nothing but rubble behind as it continued growing outwards and towards them.

Kurotsuchi felt her body being thrown into the air along with her two companions and their surroundings, going limp and losing consciousness before she even hit the ground.

-hours later-

Kurotsuchi stirred as she opened her eyes with great difficulty. She felt as if she had been tackled by an ox. Her whole body ached and her leg especially was throbbing in pain.

Her vision was blurry at first but slowly she started to make out the figure of Yugao laying several feet away from her with dust and fragments of concrete covering her motionless body.

''H-Hey!'' Kurotsuchi managed to shout, albeit with great difficulty and a raspy voice. Getting no reaction, Kurotsuchi feared the worst and she started crawling towards the older woman.

''Yugao, can you hear me?'' Said Kurotsuchi once she was almost on top of the ANBU. Still no response from the older woman. Kurotsuchi put a hand on Yugao's shoulder and shook her gently, being careful to not hurt her in case she broke something.

Seeing that nothing was working, Kurotsuchi took off her gloves and put two fingers on the older woman's neck. Kurotsuchi let out a sigh of relief when she found a pulse. At least the ANBU wasn't dead.

''You don't have to concern yourself, I'll take care of her''

Kurotsuchi was startled at the unfamiliar voice as she saw a white and blue slug the size of a small dog crawling over the still body of Yugao.

''What the...'' muttered Kurotsuchi at the sight of the slug. She hadn't realized the animal was there. She concluded that it had to be a summon.

''Sorry if I startled you,'' Said the polite animal. ''I'm Katsuyu. Tsunade-Sama called me to tend to the wounded. But how things are, even I can't get to everyone in time''

At the summon's sad tone of voice, Kurotsuchi finally thought to take note of her surroundings, and she widened her eyes in astonishment and shock as words died in her mouth. There was nothing but ruins and destruction as far as the eye could see. Every building, every house, every store, gone. From the tallest tower to the benches on the street, everything had disappeared and only rubble and dirt had been left behind.

''Konoha...Konoha has been...'' Said the girl, having difficulty processing the situation.

''Destroyed'' Finished Katsuyu with melancholy in her voice.

Kurotsuchi couldn't think of anything to say as she surveyed the ruins of what once was one of the strongest villages in the elemental nations.

There had been a time where she would have jumped in joy at the notion of Konoha's destruction. But even if she were still stuck in her own ways she was sure that nothing would make this sight pleasant. These buildings had been bursting with life and the streets filled with unaware civilians not hours before, and now everything was gone, and the inhabitants were either laying somewhere barely clinging to life or they had been buried beneath the debris.

That thought was only accentuated when she finally noticed the faint screams of agony and despair at the distance all around her. No doubt coming from the survivors.

She clenched her fist in rage at the thought of all the friends she had made here being dead. Thinking of all the people here that she had come to care for being buried beneath the remains of their former home just because of the ambition of a madman, it simply made her blood boil.

She couldn't stay here. She could still do something! She resolved as she tried to get to her feet, holding back a cry at the pain in her leg.

''Don't move, you will only make it worse!'' Warned the slug. ''I'll take care of that injury when I'm done with your friend''

Kurotsuchi gritted her teeth, ignoring the concern of the summon. ''I'm a proud Kunoichi, not some prissy princess. If I can still do something I will'' she got to her feet, doing her best to withstand the pain and keep herself standing.

Once she got up he spotted Kakashi laying in a pile of rubble several yards away.

''Kakashi!'' Yelled Kurotsuchi at the copy ninja in worry, but just like with Yugao she got no response.

''He is unconscious but he is in stable condition'' Said Katsuyu which caused Kurotsuchi to notice another small slug clinging to the limp body of Kakashi. It appeared that the slugs were somehow linked between them for Katsuyu to reassure her with such confidence.

Kurotsuchi was glad that her two companions weren't in any life-threatening condition, but that didn't mean that she could stay there doing nothing. ''Then I'll leave my friends in your care. I'm going to go find-''

Kurotsuchi was interrupted as the echo of what sounded like an explosion was heard a good distance away.

''What was that?'' Wondered Kurotsuchi out loud.

''Naruto. He is fighting Pain right now'' Said the small animal.

Kurotsuchi could have sworn that her heart stopped at that moment. Naruto was back, and he was fighting the monster that singlehandedly destroyed Konoha!? She couldn't allow him to face Pain alone, she wasn't going to let that bastard kill the boy she had come to care so much for.

''I understand how you feel,'' Said Katsuyu, already guessing what the girl had in mind. ''Naruto has gotten stronger. Their fight is at another level. In your condition you will only get in his way''

No, the slug didn't understand, she couldn't understand. Kurotsuchi had this sinking feeling in her stomach. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew that something was wrong, and she would be damned if she stayed here while Naruto was out there risking his life.

Despite the injury in her leg and Katsuyu's attempts to stop her, she started rushing towards the general direction of the explosion she heard.

She stumbled but caught herself before hitting the ground and she continued her sprint, holding back a groan as she held back tears of pain due to the intense soreness in her leg.

She passed several mountains of rubble that had previously been buildings, along with corpses of both ninja and civilians alike, but she didn't stop, she couldn't afford to.

So she just ran, unconcerned for her own well being. She didn't care if she hurt her body beyond healing. She wasn't going to let Pain get away with this and she wasn't going to let her last interaction with Naruto be her being a bitch to him. She was going to help him and put things right. He needed her more than ever and she wasn't going to let him down even if it was the last thing she did.

After a while, she finally managed to see an Akatsuki member standing far away in an open field with someone laying at his feet.

She felt her blood run cold at the sight of the figure laying down before Pain. She couldn't make out who was it from this distance but she suspected it had to be Naruto. Fearing for her boyfriend's safety she quickened her pace even if her own body protested against it.

As she closed the distance her fear turned to anger once she confirmed that the person at Pain's feet was in fact Naruto. He was wearing a red coat over his usual attire but there was no doubt it was him, but he seemed to be pinned by several metal rods stabbed through all his limbs, bolting him to the ground.

''Yoton: Sekkaigyou no Jutsu! (Lava Release: Quicklime Congealing Technique)'' Kurotsuchi spat a blob of quicklime at the leader of The Akatsuki, putting more focus on making it as corrosive as she could.

Pain felt the attack coming, and he simply turned around serenely as the attack was blown away just before it touched him, all without moving a single muscle.

''You again'' Muttered Pain as he narrowed his eyes at the nosy girl.

Having recognized the Jutsu used, Naruto turned to look in shock and horror as Kurotsuchi arrived at the scene. ''Kurotsuchi, don't come, get away!?'' Pleaded Naruto.

Kurotsuchi stopped a few yards away from Naruto and Pain, analyzing the situation but not before she took a moment to regard her boyfriend. ''Naruto, hold on. I'm gonna get you free!''

Naruto shook his head furiously. ''Listen to me, he is too dangerous! Just run! I'll find a way out of this!'' He didn't want to see Kurotsuchi die for a conflict she had nothing to do with.

''I can't do that,'' Said Kurotsuchi, managing to give Naruto a heartfelt smile despite everything that was happening. ''We said we were going to beat all hardships together, remember?''

Naruto widened his eyes at her. He could feel the warmth behind her words. He had missed hearing her talk to him like that especially after last time they saw each other. However, he was quick to return to the situation at hand and was ready to protest before he was interrupted.

''You are brave for coming here, girl,'' Said Pain. This one had short spiky hair but he had the same eyes and hair color as the rest of the bodies Kurotsuchi had faced until now. ''But ultimately you stand no chance against me. Leave now and I'll let you go. I'm after Uzumaki Naruto, I care nothing for what you do. This is the only warning I'll give you''

''Fuck you, I'm not abandoning Naruto. You know where you can stick your warning'' Said Kurotsuchi defiantly as she glared at Pain.

''No...don't do this...'' muttered Naruto, fearing for the life of the girl he loved. Why did she have to be so stubborn?!

Kurotsuchi stared hardly at Pain with determination. Her main objective was to free Naruto as fast as she could. But the wound in her leg reduced her speed drastically and made maneuvering almost impossible. Not to mention that she was very low on Chakra. All things considered, she knew that she wasn't going to last long. Her next attacks were going to be her last as she only had enough energy for a couple more.

''Have it your way,'' Said Pain with a glare of his own. ''You have gotten in my way for the last time''

Pain swiftly took out another black metal rod while he extended his other hand towards Kurotsuchi. ''Bansho Ten'in! (Heavenly Attraction of All Creation)''

In horror, Kurotsuchi felt her body rocket towards Pain as if being pulled by an invisible force. She saw Pain ready his weapon, preparing to finish her off.

She acted quickly and she spat even more corrosive goo that became affected by the gravitational pull of Pain's Jutsu and it shot itself at him.

Pain realized what she tried to do so he was forced to break the Jutsu, causing Kurotsuchi and her attack to hit the ground harmlessly.

''Kurotsuchi, he can only use his Jutsu every five seconds!'' Yelled Naruto, doing whatever he could to help.

That was good to know. That gave Kurotsuchi all the knowledge she needed to create an opening. She didn't waste any time and made some hand seals, spitting a fireball at Pain.

Pain ran towards her, uncaring for the upcoming attack. Before the fireball struck him, he raised his hand in front of him. ''Shinra Tensei! (Heavenly Subjugation of the Omnipresent God)'' a gravitational push dissolved the fire away but as soon as it cleared, a Kunai that had been hidden by the fireball speeded at Pain. The Akatsuki barely moved his head out of the way as the Kunai graced his cheek as it ebbed itself just beside Naruto, but even that clever trick didn't stop Pain's charge.

He was almost upon Kurotsuchi. He raised his metal rod, knowing that the girl wouldn't be able to evade with that wound. He thrust his weapon forward and he widened his eyes in surprise when Kurotsuchi disappeared and a Kunai took the hit meant for her.

Kurotsuchi appeared beside a shocked Naruto as her substitution had been a success. She grabbed the metal rod keeping Naruto's hands pinned and gave a mighty pull, freeing the boy's hands. She went quickly for the one on his leg, knowing that her stunt wasn't going to buy her much time. Then, she realized in horror that her time was up when she felt herself being dragged backward by the same invisible force as before, leaving behind a mortified Naruto as she flew back, only stopping when she felt an overwhelming agony originating from her back and chest. She muffed a cry of pain as she stared down and saw a metal rod sticking through her torso.

''No!'' Naruto stared in despair as he saw Pain stab Kurotsuchi. Then, Pain put his hand forward and Naruto watched in silent horror as Kurotsuchi was sent flying violently through the air and crashed a good distance away in a cloud of dust.

Naruto felt the Kyuubi's Chakra enter his system as his rage overtook him. In a momentary release of power he was able to expel the remaining metal blades and with his movement range recovered he rushed at Pain so fast that the man never saw the punch aimed at his face, sending him flying into a nearby rock.

Instead of pushing his advantage against Pain, Naruto rushed to where Kurotsuchi had landed. He couldn't scream, he couldn't call out to her, he couldn't even think right now. He just had to know that she was okay, he prayed to any deity that cared to hear him that she was okay.

Once he spotted the still body of his girlfriend, he knelt down and took her in his arms as delicately as he could.

''Kurotsuchi..'' muttered Naruto, tears threatening to fall as he saw the condition she was in. She had deep nasty scratches all over her body, her arm had been twisted at an unnatural angle, but worst of all was the huge amount of blood she that was gushing from the metal rod going through her ribcage. Naruto's mind was going into overdrive. What could he do!?

''Help! I need a medic!'' Yelled Naruto. Sakura, Shizune, Ino, he didn't care who came, he just needed a medic-nin here and he needed it now. ''please, someone!''

''Naruto...''

He directed his attention to Kurotsuchi to see her opening her eyes slowly. She directed her unfocused gaze at him, taking her a moment to recognize the blond. ''You are free...I'm glad'' She said, managing to smile weakly at him.

''What were you thinking!? I told you to run!'' Said Naruto, his voice cracking as he tried in vain to hold back his tears.

''I couldn't just leave. Not after those horrible things I said to you...I didn't mean...'' She barely managed to speak, she struggled to even keep her eyes open.

''It's alright, it's alright. I know you didn't mean it. Please save your strength. I promise that you'll be fine'' Reassured Naruto as tears rolled down his cheeks. He coated his hand in Chakra and brought it to Kurotsuchi's chest, doing is best to imitate Sakura's healing Jutsu in desperation but to no avail. He cursed himself at seeing no effect. Why did he have to be so useless!?

''Stop that...it's no use'' Said Kurotsuchi before coughing a small amount of blood. She couldn't even feel the pain anymore. That was a bad sign.

''I'm not going to let you die! Not you too!'' Naruto cried.

''Just hear me out... It's important'' muttered the girl.

Naruto focused on her silently, waiting for her to continue, shaking as he repressed his sobs.

''You'll get through this, I know you will...you are strong'' Said Kurotsuchi as she did her best effort to keep herself focused on his bright blue eyes.

''I can't. Not without you!'' insisted Naruto, the desperation was clear in his voice.

''Of course you can,'' Said Kurotsuchi, giving him a small grin. ''And after that, become the best ninja you can be. Become Hokage, for both of us''

''Don't say that'' Pleaded the boy as he held her close to him. He didn't want to hear her talk like this, like this was farewell. This couldn't be goodbye!

''Find a girl. Get married, have children, live a happy life'' Said Kurotsuchi before coughing blood again.

''You are the only one I want!'' Declared the blond between sobs. ''You are the one who makes me happy''

''Me too'' Replied Kurotsuchi as tears escaped her eyes. With great difficulty she lifted her hand and stroked Naruto's cheek tenderly as the blond held her palm trying to enjoy the last of her warmth. ''You make me happy too''

Naruto closed his eyes in sorrow as he held her hand firmly, refusing to accept that this was happening. ''Please, Kuro-Chan. Please don't die!'' This had to be a nightmare. He couldn't accept that the girl he loved was dying in his arms.

''You are such a crybaby'' Said Kurotsuchi as she smiled warmly at him with what little strength she had left. ''But I love you just the way you are''

Naruto could feel as if his heart was being squeezed in his chest. Those were the words he yearned to hear the most, but not like this, not like this!

She gave him one last tender look. ''Promise me, never change...'' and with that, Her hand fell from Naruto's face as a trail of red tainted the boy's cheek as Kurotsuchi's pink eyes slowly closed shut, the light in them vanishing. Her body went limp in Naruto's arms while he tried to shake her awake.

''Kurotsuchi!'' Yelled Naruto, doing his best to get a reaction out of her but she never did. He widened his teary eyes as reality hit him: Kurotsuchi was gone.

He cried with all his might, letting out an ear-piercing scream of agony as he cradled the body of the girl in his arms. How did she expect him to go on like this!? He had lost so much, he wasn't strong enough. He would have traded his life for hers any day, why did she have to die on him!? This was his fault, if he had been strong enough to beat Pain none of this would be happening. This was on him.

''You finally know true Pain''

Naruto's face shifted from agony to ire in an instant at the familiar voice. He turned to look at the leader of Akatsuki with a look that promised the worst hell imaginable.

''Engrave that feeling in your memory'' Said Pain. ''That feeling is the only-''

''Shut up!'' Yelled Naruto as he put Kurotsuchi down. ''Shut the fuck up!''

Pain narrowed his eyes at Naruto as the boy started walking towards him with killing intent almost rivaling his own.

''I don't give a damn about what you have to say. Or about your ideals, or your reasons for doing this'' Snarled Naruto as rage consumed his very being. ''You took my teacher, my home, my love, you took them all. I swear I'm going to make you pay a thousand times over!''

Then, Naruto let out a battle cry that soon turned into a ferocious roar as a huge wave of malevolent Chakra enveloped him.

Pain covered his face at the intensity of the evil energy that Naruto gave off. _''Is this the Kyuubi's power? It's magnificent''_

Once the Chakra receded, Pain saw that Naruto had transformed into a miniature tailed beast as the red Chakra took the shape of the Kyuubi around him. However, an external skeleton formed around his form while seven tails waved wildly behind him.

''You hate me?'' Asked Pain solemnly as he stared into the bright feral eyes of the Jinchuuriki. ''Come then. Let us see whose pain is greater!''

At that, Naruto let out a powerful roar that created a small crater around him. Getting ready to tear the Akatsuki member to shreds.

 **Author's note:**

 **Uff! Man, I'm tired! This chapter was a bit troublesome to write.**

 **Also, I'm a bit conflicted about it. One one hand, I finally wrote a ton of scenes that I had planned over two years ago, but on the other hand, I realize that this wasn't the most original chapter. Don't worry though, things will start to deviate from canon somewhat soon.**

 **Now, to write the next one...but later, I'm already plenty tired as it is.**

 **Please don't forget to leave me your thoughts!**


	38. Chapter 38: A Parent's Pride

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 38: A Parent's Pride

Yugao crouched slowly as she watched in sadness the still body of Kurotsuchi. The girl was unnaturally pale and had a black rod coming out of her chest. She was completely motionless as she rested on a pool of her own blood.

The ANBU already knew that it was wishful thinking but she still brought her hand to the girl's neck, confirming on what she already knew by just looking when she found no pulse. Kurotsuchi was dead.

Yugao clenched her teeth as a sorrowful frown marred her features. ''You stupid girl'' Muttered the ANBU as she stared at the corpse of the Iwa Kunoichi.

She had come here as soon as she woke up fearing for the girl's wellbeing as well as Naruto's just to find this. Not to mention that she could feel the energy shockwaves that came from the distance that she knew had to be from Naruto fighting Pain even if she couldn't see them. And judging by the intensity of the Chakra she felt she was sure that Naruto had unleashed the Kyuubi's power.

Everything was going to hell. Her home had been destroyed, her friends and fellow Shinobi were either dead or heavily injured and it didn't matter who won in Pain and Naruto's fight since even if the boy could defeat the Akatsuki there was no one left who could calm down the fox before it consumed him.

Yugao was at a loss, she couldn't think of what to do in this situation. She decided to first take Kurotsuchi's body somewhere else where she could give her a proper burial later, so first she reached for the black rod and pulled it out wincing at the sight of the metal sliding out of the poor girl's body. Once she discarded the weapon she took the deceased girl in her arms before she stood up. she gave the Iwa Kunoichi another look of distress, lamenting on how things ended up for her. Kurotsuchi had given her countless headaches but she had come to care for her like a little sibling after looking over her for so long.

Then, she was brought back to her senses by a terrible shriek. Yugao looked at the distance to see a giant ball of rock and debris forming in the sky with what appeared to be a skinless Kyuubi being buried in it as more and more ruble covered it despite the beast best efforts to break free.

 _''Just what in the world is going on in that fight?''_ Wondered the woman in astonishment as she saw the Kyuubi disappear inside the orb. The magnitude of Naruto and Pain's skirmish was unreal. She could just ask herself how all this was going to end.

-Naruto's Mindscape-

''Why is this happening?'' Asked Naruto out loud knowing that no one could hear him as he held his head with both hands, pained to the core for how hellish this whole situation was. There was no more Konoha, no more Team Seven, and no more Kurotsuchi. What else was for him to fight for?

The blond got to his knees, soaking his clothes in the water of the sewer in his mind. He couldn't help it, he simply couldn't stand anymore, not because he didn't have the strength but because he didn't have the will. How could he find any reason to go on when everything he cared about was gone? What was even the point of anything now?

''You know what you have to do, Naruto'' The booming voice f the Kyuubi filled the place as he stared intently with his bright red eyes at the boy at the other side of the bars that kept him imprisoned. ''At the very least make that man pay for what he has done. Show him our power!''

Naruto tried to ignore the deceitful words of the tailed beast but in his anguish he found it hard to resist the temptation. It was true. What was even the point of showing restraint? He had made Kurotsuchi the promise that he would not let the Kyuubi control him anymore but what else was there to do? There was no one alive from Konoha to suffer the wrath of the Kyuubi and he would get rid of Pain, the one responsible for taking everything from him. Yes, making that man pay was the only joy he could get out of all this. He didn't care if he died by releasing the fox. His life didn't have a purpose anymore anyway.

The Kyuubi stared silently at Naruto for a few seconds, trying to gauge the boy's reaction. ''So, what will it be?'' Asked the fox finally.

after a moment, the Kyuubi watched Naruto rise slowly from the floor, the boy's look was hollow but he still started approaching the cage at a sluggish pace.

''Yes Naruto, That's it!'' Said the Kyuubi with sick delight. ''Just let me out of here and I'll show Pain the most brutal sorrow he could ever hope to imagine. You can leave the rest to me''

Naruto stood in front of the cage, staring at a huge paper tag with the word 'Seal' keeping the doors closed. Having made up his mind he slowly started reaching for the piece of paper as the Kyuubi's evil triumphant laugh pierced his ears but it didn't deter Naruto.

The Kyuubi watched in anticipation and unrest as the foolish boy was about to take the seal off. The fox could already taste his freedom.

However, before Naruto could go any further the Kyuubi saw in utter shock as a figure appeared beside the boy and grabbed his hand before he could tear the seal away.

''How is this possible?!'' Yelled the enraged Kyuubi at the sight of the man he loathed with all his being. ''You are supposed to be dead!''

Naruto stared agape, just as shocked as the Kyuubi was, at the face of the Yondaime Hokage, his father, grabbing him by the wrist.

The Kyuubi threw himself at the bars in an attempt to break free but to no avail. The fox thrashed in rage at the presence of the man responsible for his imprisonment. ''Yondaime! I'm going to tear you apart!'' The Kyuubi didn't know how was the Yondaime here and he didn't care. He just knew that the accursed man had once again gotten in the way of its freedom.

The Yondaime turned to look at the fox with an impassive face. ''What a noisy guy you are'' Said the former Hokage. For such a powerful force of nature with Chakra capable of lifting mountains, the Kyuubi sure didn't know how to keep his temper tantrums in check.

''What is going on?'' Asked the still surprised Naruto. ''How are you here?''

Minato simply smiled at his son before responding. ''I'll explain everything to you. But first, we need some peace and quiet'' Said the Yondaime before he snapped his fingers, making the sewer landscape of Naruto's mind to disappear along with the angry fox and then both father and son found themselves standing in a white void as far as the eye could see.

Naruto simply stared in shocked silence at the older man as Minato waited patiently for his son to say anything. When the boy didn't seem to want to voice anything, the Yondaime saw it fitting to start the conversation himself.

''How happy I am to finally see you in person,'' Said Minato with a smile. ''You have grown to be quite the-oof!''

Minato stumbled backward after Naruto punched him in the face, interrupting him.

''That was for putting the stupid fox inside of me!'' Said Naruto through clenched teeth.

Minato recovered his footing to look at Naruto with a sad look on his face. ''I guess I deserved-'' Only for him to receive another hit.

''And that was for killing Kuro-Chan's mom!'' Yelled Naruto.

Minato stared somberly at Naruto before he blocked yet another punch, catching it with his hand.

''Why did you appear now after all this time?!'' Naruto demanded to know. ''Do you have any idea how lonely I've been all my life?!''

''I'm so sorry, son. I was only able to appear to you once you released eight tails of the Kyuubi, ''Explained Minato. ''When I made the seal I was almost out of chakra, I had to make my remaining energy count. If I had been able to I would have presented myself to you much earlier''

''Even so,'' Naruto continued. ''You have no idea what I had to go through just because of your mistakes!'' Yelled Naruto with tears in his eyes, remembering years of hateful looks and the look on Kurotsuchi's face when she found out who his dad was. ''You are a terrible father!''

''You are right. I'm a lousy father'' Admitted Minato in sad resignation. ''There is so much I regret but I can't take back anymore. Even if I have only shown myself to you until now I have watched you all these years and I'm sorry for all the things you had to endure because of me''

Naruto was momentarily taken aback by that but he quickly recovered from it. ''So you must know that Konoha is gone''

Minato stayed silent for a moment before nodding. ''I do''

''Then, just let me free the fox. The very least we can do is bring Pain down with us'' Said naruto coldly.

Minato frowned at that. ''I won't''

''Don't you get it?! Everything is gone!'' Said Naruto. ''My friends, my home, Kuro-chan, all is lost! I don't care what happens I just want Pain to die too!''

''I know things are hard right now'' Said Minato. ''You are hurting, I get it. But this is not like you, son. Things will only be truly lost if you lose yourself. What would your friends say if they saw you like this? What would that girl, Kurotsuchi, say if she saw you?''

''You have no right to talk about Kurotsuchi! Not after how much pain you have caused her!'' Naruto glared at his father before he grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. ''I saw her die in my arms. I watched as her life left her eyes. I won't ever forgive Pain for that! I'm never going to see her again...I'll never get to tell her that...I...''

Minato felt Naruto's hand start shaking as tears started to stream down his eyes. The Yondaime's face softened at the sight before he put a comforting hand on his son's shoulder. ''You loved her, didn't you?'' He asked softly.

Naruto let go of his father before he glanced at the floor, still crying. ''I did. I still do''

''I see'' Said Minato. ''I know she was a unique girl. I would have liked to meet her'' Even if the girl was Ohnoki's granddaughter if they had played their cards right they could have used the relationship to their advantage. The possibilities for a large scale conflict was there but there was also the chance that with the proper measures taken their relationship could have been a bridge to give ways to a stronger bond between the villages, which was something that Minato had always intended to do but unfortunately he had died before he could put any plan into motion.

''I don't think she would have liked to meet you though'' Said Naruto plainly.

''Yeah, I guess not'' Said Minato sheepishly before returning to a more serious topic. ''Anyway, what I was trying to say is to take your strength from her wish for you to keep going''

Naruto clenched his fists. ''Is not that simple''

''I know,'' Said Minato. ''But do it for her sake. I have already caused enough anguish to her and her family, don't be like me. Don't disrespect her memory''

''I want to but...it's just so hard to do'' Said Naruto, trembling with impotence.

''She realized that,'' Said Minato. ''that's why she asked that of you with her last breath. She wanted to give you the strength necessary to do it. But she had faith that you could, as do I''

Naruto closed his eyes as a knot formed in his throat. He remembered Kurotsuchi's last words and how she had asked him to never change, told him how strong she knew he was and to basically live his life to the fullest despite everything. It really hurt. Just thinking about her and knowing that he would not get to hear her voice again, to feel her warmth, it made him wish that someone would tear his heart out from his chest just so this pain would go away. He would trade his life for hers in an instant. But the reality was different, she was gone and he wasn't and he had to live with that awful thought. Regardless that, he knew that his dad was right. Even if there was nothing he wished more than to crawl under a rock and give his body to the Kyuubi to forget all of this, he had to keep going if only for Kurotsuchi's sake. Once this was over he would mourn to his heart's content.

''Okay, I'll try to honor her memory. I won't give up just yet'' Said Naruto with a serious face, lacking his usual vigor.

Minato nodded, glad to see that his son was willing to give life another shot. ''Remember, things might look bleak but there is always a way to keep going. Konoha can be rebuilt, you'll meet new people, new bonds will be formed. And who knows what might happen later. Life has a way to surprise us'' Said Minato sagely.

Naruto simply nodded half-heartedly. It was obvious to Minato that Naruto was going to try and live out of obligation rather than of his own volition, but that was to be expected. Minato knew that his son would not just bounce back after all of this but him being willing to take the first step was enough for now.

Minato glanced down at his palm to see it starting to turn transparent, which caught Naruto's attention.

''What is happening to you?'' Inquired the boy.

''My time is running out,'' informed the Yondaime. ''My Chakra won't last much longer'' and he still had so much he wanted to discuss with his son.

''You are leaving already?!'' Asked Naruto in disappointment. ''b-but...''

Minato gently put his hand on Naruto's head, giving him an encouraging smile. ''I know our time together was short. But I want you to know that I'm proud of you. Don't ever give up''

Despite everything that was happening, Naruto still managed to give his dad a small smile.

Minato was happy to see some of Naruto's fire returning to his eyes even if just a little bit. ''lastly I'm going to repair your seal for one last time. This will consume my remaining chakra so this is farewell for now'' Informed the Yondaime as he put a hand on Naruto's stomach.

''Dad''

Minato tilted his head in curiosity at Naruto's call.

''Thank you'' Said the boy.

Minato regarded his son with a tender gaze before he finished applying the seal and Naruto could feel his mind returning to the real world.

-Konoha-

Yugao watched intently the gigantic rock sphere in the sky, waiting for something to happen. The Kyuubi's rampage had stopped just a moment ago, she could not hear the angry beast anymore trying to break free. What could it mean?

Then, she noticed a figure standing on one side of the ball and saw it jump to the ground.

 _''Was that Naruto?''_ That was the only logical explanation but how had he managed to calm the fox by himself? If that had been the case the boy was more amazing than she had given him credit.

At the other side of the clearing, Pain followed the falling form of Naruto with his gaze until the teenager landed just in front of him, all the while the boy was keeping eye contact with the Akatsuki member.

''How did you manage to calm the Kyuubi down?'' Asked Pain serenely.

''Does it matter?'' Responded Naruto with a glare.

''No I guess not'' Said Pain. ''You must realize that you are as good as dead, don't you? the fox's power was your last resort to defeating me and you didn't take advantage of that''

''I don't need the stupid fox to kick your ass'' Said Naruto, narrowing his pigmented eyes as he had somehow managed to summon enough natural energy to return to his Sage mode. ''This time I'll defeat you for sure. So you better get ready for round two''

''Such overconfidence'' Said Pain. ''Very well, let me show you how futile that confidence is''

After a brief delay of both enemies regarding each other for a few seconds, they both threw themselves at the other, resuming their violent fight.

-Unknown Location-

Pitch black. That was all that Kurotsuchi could see.

She was confused for a moment. She didn't remember how she got here. one second she just woke up standing in god knows where and there was nothing but darkness all around her.

 _''Where am I?''_ thought the girl as she tried to remember anything. That was when she recalled Konoha's destruction and her battle against Pain, and how she had seen Naruto one last time as she passed out in his arms.

she widened her eyes in alarm. She was sure that had been the end, but she didn't think she had been saved. This sensation she had, her body felt weird, unnatural, as if she was floating away even though she was standing. She just knew that she had to be dead.

She had trouble processing that thought. She didn't expect to exist in any form once her life was over, but she couldn't say she was happy about it. That just meant that she had an eternity to ponder on how she had been so pathetically and soundly defeated by the Akatsuki and she had been unable to help Naruto...

''Naruto!'' Exclaimed the tomboy loudly as her mind drifted to the boy she loved. She had died in his arms and she didn't have any way to know if he was okay and didn't have any way to help him either if he wasn't.

She clenched her fists as she shook with rage and sorrow. She had died like a loser in front of Naruto as she had tried in vain to help him. She knew that knowing Naruto he would never forgive himself for her death, which was entirely her fault. Just what had she accomplished? What meaning did her life have? She had done nothing. She never managed to return to Iwa, she never became Tsuchikage, her father and grandpa would live grieving her death, and worst of all she never got to spend more time with Naruto and after she had confessed how she truly felt.

She closed her eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. She was pathetic. She had been so useless and just had been good to go and die like a dog.

''Kurotsuchi, Is that you?''

The tomboy widened her eyes as she glanced at her surroundings. Who had said that and who could know her in this place? she didn't even think that she would see anyone here.

Then, as she turned around, to her surprise she came face to face with someone else. She had almost stumbled back by the stranger's sudden appearance but more than being surprised at the apparition of the newcomer she was more shocked to realize that she knew this person.

It was a woman and one that Kurotsuchi had seen countless times in old pictures. The fair pale skin, the long silky dark hair, and bright pink eyes identical to her own as the woman's red lips broke into a gentle smile when she took a good look at Kurotsuchi.

''I knew it! You are Kurotsuchi, right?'' Asked the woman cheerfully before stroking the cheek of the surprised girl. ''My, how much you have grown since I last saw you! you turned into a fine lady''

Kurotsuchi was speechless. Her mind had trouble coming to terms with what she was seeing. This person was...she was...''Mom?'' Asked the shocked girl.

The woman nodded with a gentle smile before she frowned in worry at the sight of Kurotsuchi's face. ''Oh my! Kurotsuchi are you alright? you have been crying'' Said the woman before she wiped away some of her daughter's tears. But as she was almost done, Kurotsuchi threw herself at her mother and embraced her in a tight hug.

The older woman glanced contently at her daughter before she returned the gesture, wrapping her arms around Kurotsuchi as she rested a hand on top of the girl's head.

''I've wanted to meet you for so long...for so long'' sniffed Kurotsuchi as she buried her face in her mother's shirt. There were so many things she wanted to say to her but at this moment nothing came out from her, she just couldn't find the words.

''I've wanted to meet you too,'' Said the older woman before her smile became sad. ''But is a shame that I got to see you much sooner than I thought I would'' she said as she stroked her daughter's hair.

''I'm sorry mom. I tried, I really tried but in the end...I...just'' Said Kurotsuchi as her overwhelming emotions flooded her already fuzzy mind.

''Shhh it's okay sweetie. Why don't we sit down?'' Said the older woman as she brought Kurotsuchi to a bench nearby that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Kurotsuchi didn't question how the bench had materialized from thin air and she just sat down along with her mother.

''You can tell me everything dear. We have time after all'' Said the older woman.

Kurotsuchi sighed in an attempt to calm herself. ''I guess I'll just tell you everything from the start''

''Please do'' Responded her mother.

The tomboy took a deep breath before she started her story. ''You see, dad and I were assigned a team. We were tasked with capturing a Jinchuuriki...''

-Outskirts of Konoha-

Inside a large tree, in the shadows stood Naruto with crossed arms before two individuals. One was a woman with short blue hair that framed her face, she had orange eyes and a pierced lip. She was using the Akatsuki uniform and looked ready to attack Naruto at any sign of hostility.

The other was a sickly thin man with red hair. He had the same eyes as the Pain bodies and his torso and arms were connected to a large machine-like contraption that had his entire body immobile.

Naruto had managed to defeat Pain by the skin of his teeth but more importantly, he had been able to track down where the real body was which led him to this place. After that, the man had requested for Naruto to hear his story so he understood his reasons, which the man had done just now.

''So tell me, Uzumaki Naruto. What is your answer?'' Said the sickly man expectantly.

Both the man and the woman looked intently at Naruto, waiting for the boy to say something.

"I understand your motives now but..." started Naruto as his frown deepened. "I still can't forgive you! You have taken everything from me!"

"I see," Said the man before he turned to his companion. "Konan!"

"Yes, Nagato!" Responded the woman as she got into a fighting stance.

"Regardless..."

Both Konan and Nagato stopped when they noticed that Naruto wasn't done talking.

"I still want to believe in peace, I have to," continued Naruto. "For that reason, I have decided not to kill you"

Both Akatsuki members stared at him in disbelief.

"So you'll just forgive me after I killed your friends? I find that hard to believe" Said Nagato.

"Of course not. I haven't forgiven you, far from it. To tell you the truth there is nothing that I would like more at this moment than tear you to shreds" admitted Naruto. "But Kurotsuchi, before she died she pleaded me to not change, to not lose myself. I don't want to betray the trust she put in me and the hopes that she and the Ero-Sennin placed in me. So for their sake, I will be the better person and not take your life"

"What naive nonsense are you babbling on about?" Said Nagato. "You think that putting the other cheek is enough to bring peace to this world?"

"No, I know that this won't be enough. But I'll find the answer in my own way. Peace was my master's dream and so is mine. And I'll stop at nothing until I find an answer. That is my ninja way" Said Naruto with a conviction that Nagato and Konan had never seen.

Nagato was especially shocked. This boy, after having lost everything he was still able to let this transgression go and not give up on his ideals. When most people would break he simply stood up. Also, he remembered how the boy was able to change that Iwa Kunoichi's outlook on him and the rest of Konoha and not only that but to also form a close relationship with her, something that with their villages history should have been almost impossible. Maybe, just maybe, this boy could actually make a difference.

"Nagato?" Inquired Konan as she glanced at her old friend. He was unusually quiet and seemed deep in thought.

"All right. I have also made up my mind" informed Nagato at last, which piqued both Naruto and Konan's interest. "Uzumaki Naruto, I have decided to entrust you with my dream of peace. But first, I have to amend for my mistakes"

"What do you mean?" Asked Naruto.

"Nagato, are you going to use that!?" Said Konan in a worried tone.

"Don't worry Konan. I wasn't going to last long in this world anyway. It's better to make what remains of my life count" Said Nagato reassuringly.

"I don't understand. What are you guys talking about?" Asked Naruto.

"I'm going to return to you the people you lost in this invasion of mine" declared Nagato.

"What!? Is that possible?!" Said a shocked Naruto.

"With the Rinnegan it is" Said Nagato.

"That's amazing! I didn't know such a Jutsu existed!" Said Naruto in joy. The prospect of seeing all his friends had no comparison.

"But there is a drawback," informed Konan. "This will cost Nagato his life" Said the woman somberly.

That stopped Naruto dead in his tracks as he glanced back at Nagato. "Is that true?" Even if Naruto couldn't deny that he thought it was worth it if it meant getting his friends back, especially if the tradeoff was the life of the one who killed them in the first place, it still didn't feel right to ask someone else to trade their life for his benefit.

"As I said, I made my choice," Said Nagato before turning to his friend. "Konan, I entrust Amegakure to you"

"I won't let you down, Nagato" Said Konan with sorrow, sad to say farewell to her friend. She then turned to Naruto and approached him as she created a flower bouquet of paper and handed it to him.

Naruto stared in confusion as the paper roses in his hands.

"This is a symbol of our friendship," Said Konan. "You are now the carrier of Nagato and Jiraiya-Sensei's dreams. You have my support as well as Amegakure's"

Naruto was momentarily stunned at this turn of events but he still managed to crack a smile at her. "Thanks. I appreciate it"

"Then I shall begin," Declared Nagato. "This is goodbye, Konan. And Naruto, you have a hard road ahead of you but I chose to put my faith in you. May you have success where I failed"

Naruto nodded as he watched closely Nagato's Jutsu while Konan looked on with sorrow clearly visible on her face at the loss of such a close person to her.

Nagato proceeded to make a single hand seal as he channeled all his remaining Chakra and life force in what would be his last technique. "Rinne Tensei!"

-Unknown Location-

''...And then I ended up here'' Said Kurotsuchi as she stared at the ground, or rather the black void that she could stand on. Now that she had told her mother all that had happened since her mission to capture Naruto she was anxious to know what her mom thought about it.

''I see,'' Said her mom thoughtfully. ''Your whole situation was complicated, to say the least. And here I was wanting to know how was your father is doing but I'm guessing that you have no clue either, uh?''

Kurotsuchi shook her head. ''I'm sorry. I haven't seen him in a while ever since I arrived in Konoha. I can only hope he is doing fine'' She decided to leave out the attack on their village by Deidara. She had faith that her father had made it out all right and she didn't want to worry her mother unnecessarily. Besides, if her dad had been killed her mother would probably know about by now.

''I guessed as much,'' Said her mother before she decided to break the gloomy mood, grabbing Kurotsuchi with a surprise hug and catching the girl off-guard. ''My poor thing. You have a knack for getting yourself into trouble, my little firecracker''

''Mom! stop that you are embarrassing me!'' Said Kurotsuchi with a red face before she freed herself from the older woman's grasp.

''Dear, didn't you know? It's also the job of a mother to embarrass her children'' Said the woman as she snickered.

Kurotsuchi pouted but she quickly gave her mother a small smile. She had dreamed all her life for these kinds of interactions with her mom. To finally be able to experience them was something else.

''By the way, mom'' Said Kurotsuchi, making her mother stop laughing to look at her attentively. ''Where are we?'' If this is what the afterlife looked like it was depressing as shit.

''This is...How do I put it?'' Said the woman in thought. ''This is where we come before we move on to the next world, basically''

''I see...'' Replied Kurotsuchi. It was depressing to finally have definitive confirmation from someone else that she was indeed dead. But then she realized something. ''But mom, what are you still doing here? You died almost seventeen years ago''

Her mother looked surprised at that. ''Is it really been that long? I didn't realize. You see, I could have moved on long ago but I wanted to be the first person to greet your father once he passed away. I'm a bit sad to find out that you came here first, though''

''I'm sorry. If I wasn't such a failure I wouldn't have died'' Said Kurotsuchi somberly.

''You are not a failure, sweetie'' Said her mother. ''You gave your life to save that Jinchuuriki boy you talked so much about. There is no shame in risking our lives for the ones we love''

''L-Love?!'' repeated Kurotsuchi, flustered. How had she know that?! she was very careful to hide the intimate details of her relationship with Naruto when she talked to her mom about him.

''Don't look so surprised. A mother can tell these things,'' Said the woman with a wink. ''Besides, You remind me a lot of me when I was dating your father. Ahhh, young love is the best''

''But-but-but-but aren't you mad that he is from Konoha?'' Asked an incredulous Kurotsuchi.

''Love knows no bounds!'' Replied her mother in a playful manner.

''Mom, I'm serious!'' Said Kurotsuchi in exasperation.

''I'm being serious. I never liked the hatred our villages have for each other. I'm glad that at least you were able to see past our resentment towards Konoha,'' Said the older woman. ''I'm proud of you no matter what. You having some Konoha friends doesn't bother me in the least''

However, the older woman saw with curiosity that Kurotsuchi just turned away in shame and fear, which wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. ''Dear, is everything all right?''

Kurotsuchi shook her head gently much to the ever increasing worry of her mother.

''There is something you should know. Something I didn't tell you'' Said Kurotsuchi, unable to meet her mother's eyes.

''Something you didn't tell me?'' Repeated her mother in confusion as she noticed that her daughter started to fidget.

''The boy I talked to you about, the one I love. His name is Naruto and he is the...he is...''Kurotsuchi gulped hard before going on. ''He is the son of the Yellow Flash!''

The older woman widened her eyes at the revelation. For the first time in their conversation, she was the one left without words. That had been the last thing she expected Kurotsuchi to say.

''I'm so sorry for letting you down, mom!'' Said Kurotsuchi as she closed her eyes in her shame, her tears gathering at the corner of her eyes once again. ''I knew that man killed you and yet I still went and fell in love with his son!''

She could feel her mother watching in silence as she spoke but she didn't dare look at her. She was so ashamed but she had to come clean to her mother. ''I know I have let your memory down. Even so, I can't help loving Naruto. He is just-'' Then, Kurotsuchi found herself on the arms of her mother as the older woman squeezed her tightly.

''You haven't let anyone down'' Said the older woman as she rested her cheek on top of her daughters head affectionately.

''but the Yondaime-''

''Kurotsuchi, I didn't die so you could live your life feeling like you had to take revenge in my stead. I fought and died in hopes of building a better future for you, a future where you could be free to spend your life however you wanted,'' Explained the older woman as she patted her child's head. ''You seem like a smart girl. I'm sure you have good reasons for feeling what you feel for Naruto. The way you talk about him makes me think that he is a sweet boy, Yellow flash's son or not''

''Mom...'' Kurotsuchi couldn't hide her surprise. She hadn't been ready for a positive answer.

''Just one thing,'' Added her mother. ''did he make you happy?''

Kurotsuchi nodded gently. ''Like I never thought possible''

That earned her a proud smile from her mom. ''That's all that matters''

A strong feeling of relief washed over Kurotsuchi. The knowledge of her mother's death and her self-imposed duty to hate Konoha and the yellow Flash had been one of the strongest driving forces of her life. Now that the heavy burden of that had been lifted from her shoulders she felt free at last, freer than she had ever felt before.

''Thank you, mom'' Said Kurotsuchi as she returned the hug, simply enjoying the closeness that they shared. Her dad had been right about her mother, she was an amazing woman.

The older woman was about to reply when suddenly an otherworldly light enveloped her daughter. ''Kurotsuchi?''

Kurotsuchi broke the hug to stare at her own shining body in alarm. What was this light? ''Mom! What is going on?!''

''It seems like your time hasn't come yet after all!'' Her mother beamed with joy.

''What, you mean that...'' Asked Kurotsuchi with hope.

''You are going back'' nodded the older woman.

Kurotsuchi grinned from ear to ear. She didn't know how it was possible but she wouldn't question it. She wasn't about to complain about a second chance at life. ''I'm glad that I got to meet you, mom'' Said Kurotsuchi, already feeling her body started to shift from that reality as the brightness intensity steadily grew.

''It was a delight to be able to have a talk with my beautiful girl'' Responded the woman. ''But please sweetie, try to not come back here in a very long time''

''I'll do my best. this time I'll make you proud'' vowed Kurotsuchi.

''You already have'' Said her mother. ''Now go. Get back to your dad and that Naruto boy. Tell them that they better treat you well or I'll haunt them for life''

''No need. I can make them pay dearly myself'' Said Kurotsuchi.

''That's my baby girl'' Said the older woman.

Kurotsuchi frowned at the nickname but she quickly erased her face of displeasure to give a small laugh, which her mother shared.

Both mother and child shot each other one last grateful smile before the light finished enveloping Kurotsuchi and she had only been able to see white before vanishing.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Hello guys! It's been a while, sorry about that. You know how it is I always disappear for a few months then I come back and get a few chapters done rinse and repeat. Obviously that's not what I intended that's just what always ends up happening.**

 **Anyway, I wanted to address a couple of things in this chapter. First, I know that Kurotsuchi came across as overly emotional despite being pretty though. That's because she just died knowing that she did so in vain without being able to help Naruto and on top of that she met her mother.**

 **'But Kakashi also died and he didn't break into tears so easily!' I hear you say. Well yeah, but Kakashi was already an accomplished and adult shinobi who already had a life full of hardships and struggled with depression having no real life goals as he just went with the flow, in contrast to a teenage girl that had yet to live life to its fullest and was the hope and pride of her village who expected great things from her. Not to mention that she had just found love just to have it taken away. So I think that her shaky feelings were justified this time.**

 **Second, I know that skipping the fight scenes between Pain and Naruto can be a bit jarring for the pacing but I really didn't feel like going over a canon fight. We already have seen them hundreds of times so I didn't bother. Good news is I think that it will be the last fight we'll see that is a retread of canon. I'm sure you can guess what that means: we are going to start branching out a lot from canon in a not too distant future so you can look forward to that.**

 **That's all for now, please Review or PM me if you would be so kind...but if you don't feel like it is fine too. see ya for now!**


	39. Chapter 39: In Plain Sight

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any of its characters as they are the property of Masashi Kishimoto. The author of the cover image is** **indy-riquez** **from DeviantArt. You can check the link for the original image in my profile.**

Chapter 39: In Plain Sight

Yugao stared into the distance with worry. Katsuyu had informed the remaining ninja that Naruto had gone by himself to find Pain's real body but that had been hours ago. Had he won? Why was he taking it so long then?

 _''We should have gone with him''_ Yugao berated herself mentally.

''I understand how you feel, Yugao-San,'' Said Kakashi who had been accompanying the ANBU captain ever since he recovered consciousness. ''But we have to keep our cool''

''How can you be so calm, Kakashi-Senpai?!'' Inquired Yugao incredulously. ''Naruto is your student, how can you be so collected when Naruto left us to fight that monster?! We should at least have gone after him!''

''In our current condition we would be of no use to him, you know that'' Said Kakashi as he eyed Yugao seriously. ''We are injured and almost out of Chakra. You felt how Naruto and Pain fought. In our current health, we can't hope to keep up with them. Pain may even target us to force Naruto to slip up''

Yugao glanced at the floor and clenched her teeth in suppressed rage. She knew that Kakashi was right, but that didn't make this all the less frustrating. Konoha was her home, those who there laying in the remains of their village were her comrades, and Naruto was her fellow leaf Shinobi. Knowing that she wouldn't be able to help didn't make all this any less aggravating.

Suddenly, Kakashi narrowed his visible eye as he noticed something approaching in the distance. ''Yugao, look!''

The purple-haired woman diverted her look to the horizon and saw some kind of light rays getting closer at an impressive speed. Both Jounin didn't even have time to wonder what it was before the light beams were upon them and started raining all around the village.

''What the heck is going on?!'' Asked Yugao as she glanced around in confusion at the beams of light landing everywhere.

Kakashi managed to catch glimpse of a ray that landed on the corpse of a Chunin laying in a pile of rubble a few yards away. The copy ninja didn't have time to wonder what was goong on when he noticed in shock that the ninja started stirring and standing up with a hand on his aching head.

Yugao was now also paying attention to the man coming back to life. Both she and the cyclops were in still in complete astonishment when they started noticing several more Shinobi starting to rise from the debris around them. The previously dead ninja wandered the place, seemingly just as confused as Yugao and Kakashi.

Yugao stared in disbelief. ''Did they just come back to life?''

''how is that possible?'' Said Kakashi.

''Maybe it was Naruto''

Kakashi and Yugao turned around to see another Katsuyu approaching them.

''Naruto must have defeated Pain,'' Said the slug. ''This should be the result of that''

''I can't think of any other explanation'' Said Kakashi. They knew almost nothing about the Rinnegan. This could very well be the result of Pain being defeated.

Yugao watched this amazing scene deep in thought. She couldn't believe this was possible. Suddenly, she widened her eyes when a realization hit her. ''Wait, does this mean that...'' Then the woman took off into the ruined village, looking for the place where she had put Kurotsuchi's body.

After a couple of minutes, she landed beside the still form of the Iwa Kunoichi. Yugao was starting to wonder if the girl was going to be affected by that strange light when another ray buried itself in the corpse.

Yugao watched intently in amazement as she saw before her eyes the chest wound of Kurotsuchi starting to mend itself in seconds. _''this is amazing''_ Thought the older woman before she noticed the pale skin of Kurotsuchi starting to regain some of its natural color.

An instant later, Kurotsuchi started coughing as Yugao supported the girl helping her sit up.

Kurotsuchi stopped coughing as she gave a deep breath and opened her eyes slowly, blinking a few times as she groaned.

''Kurotsuchi, are you okay, can you hear me?!'' Said Yugao with urgency.

Kurotsuchi's vision cleared and focused her attention on Yugao. ''Yu-Yugao?''

''Thank Kami, you really are back!'' Said Yugao in relief.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes in her own surprise. she was back! She remembered being with her mother before she started emitting a strange light. By Yugao's reaction, Kurotsuchi knew that it hadn't been a dream, she really had died and come back to life.

But then, Yugao gave the tomboy a berating look. ''You stupid girl! What were you thinking going off to fight Pain on your own without any backup!?''

Kurotsuchi shrank at the intensity in which Yugao was glaring at her. It was weird seeing the woman worked up. ''What was I supposed to do?! Let Naruto die or-''

Kurotsuchi quieted down when Yugao put her hand on Kurotsuchi's shoulder.

''It's fine I understand why you did what you did,'' Said Yugao in a much softer tone. She didn't have the heart to be too hard on the girl right now. ''Just try to be more careful next time''

Kurotsuchi returned the smile. ''Believe me, I don't feel like dying again anytime soon'' It was good so see Yugao again even if she wouldn't admit it to the ANBU.

''You'd better,'' Said Yugao. ''But how are you feeling? Are you sure you are all right?''

Kurotsuchi nodded. ''Yeah, just a bit lightheaded but other than that I'm as good as new,'' Said the girl, even inspecting her wound just to find that it had been healed. ''By the way, do you know how I'm back?'' Even just asking that felt weird to Kurotsuchi.

''You are not the only one. Our Shinobi started recovering all over too,'' Explained Yugao. ''We aren't sure why but we suspect that Naruto somehow managed to bring you back''

Kurotsuchi looked amazed at the notion. ''What do you mean? How could he have done this and where is he anyway?! I have to see if he is fine!'' She quickly got to her feet, stumbling as Yugao helped her steady herself.

''Calm down, you need to take this easy,'' Said Yugao. ''Naruto is not here, he left a while ago to fight Pain's real body on his own. A bit later was when everyone started coming back to life so that's why we suspect he did something to cause this''

Kurotsuchi meditated on everything Yugao said. That did sound like a reasonable explanation, at least the most reasonable they had at the moment, but she still could only hope that Naruto was okay. There was so much she wanted to make right after how she had treated Naruto. She couldn't forgive herself for how she had almost killed Naruto when she found out who his dad was, or how she had told him she never wanted to see him again. On top of that, she was alive because of him. Nt only did he make her life more meaningful but she gave it back to her. She knew that she could never pay Naruto back for all he had done but she would try and this time around she would do it with all her heart.

''You are back too?!'' ''Amazing, isn't it?!''

Both Kurotsuchi and Yugao turned their attention to a bunch of Chunin that seemed to be ecstatic with the turn of events.

''This is a miracle!'' Exclaimed Achunin with a huge grin.

''But how did it happen?'' Asked another.

''Didn't you hear? Apparently, Naruto found a way to bring us back to life when he defeated Pain!'' Said another.

''What?! Naruto did it?!'' Responded his surprised companion.

''Who would have thought? And here I always thought the boy was extremely lacking in talent,'' Said the other. ''I was so wrong''

''And he got so strong too!'' Exclaimed the previous one. ''To be able to defeat Pain when not even Hokage-Sama and the entire village could! He is going to go far I tell you! Maybe even become Hokage!''

''Hokage? Aren't you overreacting?'' Said Another Chunin.

''Of course not! To be able to defeat a monster like Pain that makes him more than qualified!'' Said the other.

Kurotsuchi was surprised at the conversation the Chunin were having before she smiled with pride for the blond Jinchuuriki. It looked like his dreams weren't so far-fetched now.

''It looks like Naruto's victory is already changing people's opinion about him'' Said Yugao, happy for the boy. Katsuyu must have told some ninja what had happened and word was already spreading like wildfire.

''Come,'' Said Yugao to Kurotsuchi. ''Help me see if everyone is back, at least until Naruto is back''

Kurotsuchi nodded at Yugao. It was fine, it wasn't like she had anything to do for the moment. She just wished that Naruto would arrive soon.

-Iwagakure no Sato-

Ohnoki grumbled angrily as he took another document on the pile of his desk. The paperwork load was so massive that the stacks easily towered above him, forcing him to occasionally use his anti-gravity Jutsu to reach higher sheets of paper.

Like any Kage, he had always used to ramble and complain about the ridiculous amount of paperwork that he had to do some days but ever since the loss of Kurotsuchi, the attack on his village by the Akatsuki, and the exorbitant monthly tolls he had to pay Konoha to keep his granddaughter safe, his work seemed to have multiplied as the damage of all issues put together could still be felt even months later.

a Knock was heard on his door and he gave permission to enter as he knew perfectly well who it was.

Kitsuchi entered the Hokage's office, spotting his father deep in his work.

''What is it that you wanted to show me?'' Asked the Jounin with crossed arms. His relationship with his father was still a bit shaky ever since he caused Kurotsuchi to be captured but they were slowly becoming more cordial towards each other again.

Ohnoki stopped signing a sheet of paper to regard Kitsuchi with his gaze attentively.

''We got a letter from The Land of Iron'' Informed Ohnoki.

''The Land of Iron you say?'' Inquired Kitsuno not hiding his surprise.

Ohnoki nodded as he stood up from his chair. ''Mifune himself sent it''

''That's very unlike him,'' Said Kitsune. ''What did he want?'' The Land of Iron was completely neutral, they didn't even have Shinobi just Samurai instead. They didn't even trade with ninja villages to disassociate themselves entirely from any sort of allegiance. They have gone to such lengths to remain neutral that it was very strange that they were now sending a letter to them.

The small Tsuchikage crossed his arms before floating to a window in his office. He glanced down at his beloved village before answering. ''They are summoning me to go to The Land of Iron. They want to gather all the Kages. Like some sort of Kage summit''

Kitsuchi widened his eyes at that. A Kage summit? When was the last time one of those had been made?

''Even the Daimyou has already approved it so it would reflect badly on us if I refused to go'' Said Ohnoki.

''But does it say what they hope to accomplish with that summit?'' Insisted Kitsuchi.

''Just so you don't misunderstand. the one proposing this summit is the Raikage. Mifune is just hosting the event'' Declared the small man.

''Well that makes more sense,'' Said Kitsuchi. He thought that it was weird that Mifune had all of a sudden decided to host a Kage summit, it made way more sense for another Kage to summon the others even if was unheard of. ''Still, what is the Raikage thinking?''

''They want to discuss the underlying threat of the Akatsuki and they want all the nations to cooperate'' Said the Tsuchikage.

''I see,'' Said Kitsuchi in thought. That had to mean that they hoped to reach some sort of truce between the villages or maybe even an alliance just to deal with the Akatsuki. Kitsuchi himself wanted to make Akatsuki pay but trusting other villages? That didn't seem wise, and besides... ''So that means...'' Muttered Kitsuchi.

Ohnoki already could guess what his son was thinking. ''Tsunade will be there, probably. I don't like the idea of seeing the Hokage or any of those Konoha bastards either,'' Said Ohnoki through clenched teeth. Konoha had Kurotsuchi hostage and they had extorted millions of Ryo from him just to keep his granddaughter safe. He wasn't about to forgive Konoha so easily and much less work with them. ''Still, I need to face her and make sure that she is keeping her promise to us. By not assisting we will look weak which is exactly what we don't want right now''

Kitsuchi didn't like the idea but his dad was right. If they stayed out of it not only it would look like an offense to the rest of the Kages assisting who were taking a risk by meeting with their enemies but they would also look like cowards. And he also wanted to hear from the Hokage that Kurotsuchi was safe. ''In that case, I'll go with you'' Declared Kitsuchi.

Ohnoki had already expected that reaction from his son. ''Very well. You'll be coming with me as my guard and so will Akatsuchi. Inform him that he is to accompany us''

''Right,'' Said Kitsuchi. ''When are we leaving?''

''In just a few days. I'll let you guys know the exact date later,'' Said Ohnoki. ''Now go, I have a lot to think about''

And with that, Kitsuchi left the office leaving his father to his devices.

 _''A Kage summit, uh?''_ Thought Ohnoki. There hadn't been a Kage summit ever since the founding of the main ninja villages. Ohnoki could only guess what had prompted the Raikage to feel the need to one. But no mater, Ohnoki's interest's were in his village and granddaughter's well-being, every decision he took was a consequence of that and the actions he would be doing in this meeting would be no different

 _''Kurotsuchi...''_ He wondered how was his granddaughter doing. He hoped he would be able to bring her home soon some time in the future. Meanwhile, he prayed that she was hanging in there.

-Konohagakure no Sato-

Naruto landed at the edge of the village ruins, gasping for breath. ''I'm..finally...back.'' Said the tired boy between breaths. He had been in such a hurry to come back and see if his friends were truly back that he neglected to consider how drained he was from his fight with Pain.

''Yo''

Naruto turned to see Kakashi smiling at him behind his mask. ''Kakashi-Sensei!?''

''I was waiting for you,'' Said the man as he put a hand on Naruto's shoulder with pride. ''You did well, Naruto''

''I'm glad to see you, sensei,'' Said Naruto. ''But where is everyone?!''

Kakashi waved his hand towards him, telling Naruto to follow him. ''Everyone's been expecting you'' Informed the copy ninja before he and Naruto turned around a building.

As soon as Naruto turned the corner he spotted with great joy a huge crowd of people waiting expectantly at the other side.

''There he is!''

''Naruto's back!''

''We believed in you!''

''Nice job, kid!''

''You showed 'em!''

''He is the hero of Konoha!''

Naruto stared speechless at the crowd of villagers. He was incredibly happy to see them safe and sound, but this feeling of acceptance was alien to him.

''Naruto!''

Naruto saw several of his friends running up to him as they gathered around him.

''Naruto-Kun, you were incredible! your flames of youth have no comparison!'' Said Lee with emotion.

''You were great, man! I envy you'' Said Kiba giving Naruto a toothy smile and a pat on the back.

''You almost looked cool! Who knew you could be so strong?!'' Said Ino.

''I had faith you could do it!'' Said Chouji with a smile.

''But, Naruto-Kun, are you okay!?'' Asked a worried Hinata. ''You are not hurt?''

''You had us worried for a bit there'' Added Neji.

''Don't ever scare us like that'' Sakura berated him lightheartedly.

Naruto laughed and reassured his friends. He was beyond ecstatic to see them again. Then, his eyes lit up as he watched in surprise as someone else made her way through the crowd.

Kurotsuchi stood shyly before Naruto as the boy stared at her in relief but at a loss for words. To him, it felt like a dream to see her unharmed after he felt her die in his arms.

The weird atmosphere of the scene caused everyone to quiet down as they waited for the two to say something to the other.

Kurotsuchi's relief at seeing Naruto couldn't be expressed through words. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself at him and let her emotions do the talking. But she knew that she still had to clear things up between them. She had acted awfully to him the last time they interacted properly. She couldn't just ignore those terrible things she said and act as if it didn't happen. Naruto deserved better. But she didn't know what to say.

''You are back'' Said Kurotsuchi lamely, meeting Naruto's eyes before she glanced back to the ground. ''I was looking for-''

She never got to finish before she found herself in the strong embrace of Naruto.

''You are alright, thank kami,'' Said Naruto, barely containing his tears. ''When Pain...I...I didn't think I would ever see you again''

''You weren't going to get rid of me so easily'' Said Kurotsuchi softly before she returned the hug.

'' I want to use this second chance to amend for the pain I've caused you,'' Said Naruto, much to Kurotsuchi's shock. ''I just want things to go back to how they were before. Please, forgive me for what my dad did to you''

Naruto felt Kurotsuchi grip his jacket as she buried her face in his chest tenderly.

''Dummy, I'm the one who is sorry. Those horrible things I told you...I shouldn't have said them. What your dad did doesn't matter, it doesn't reflect on you. You are you and I like you just the way you are,'' Said Kurotsuchi softly. ''I'm always hurting you needlessly, But please, just one more time forgive my stupid and hateful self''

Naruto cupped her face with his hands as he lifted her face to meet her beautiful eyes with his own. ''Let's just forget all that. I only want to be by your side regardless of what happened in the past. I told you before, I love you and nothing will change it''

Despite her blush, Kurotsuchi managed to return his loving smile as she lost herself in his gaze. ''I love you too''

Naruto caressed her cheek before he brought his lips to hers.

Kurotsuchi widened her eyes at the sudden action. they were practically in the presence of the entire village. she knew that she should break off the kiss. But then, she remembered her mother's words. If her mother was fine with this why should anyone else?She wasn't going to hide anymore. These wonderful arrays of feelings she felt couldn't be something to be ashamed of. If anyone had a problem they could just screw themselves, but she wasn't going to ruin her relationship with the man she loved just to appease ignorant people.

She grabbed Naruto by the nape of his neck as she deepened the kiss, letting herself get lost in the moment. She loved Naruto and he loved her. Nothing else should matter. It was a shame that she had been so reluctant to be truebto her feelings and over nothing.

Meanwhile, Naruto's friend expression at the scene ranged widely, from the agape faces of Rock Lee, Neji, and Sakura, to the content faces of Ino and Kakashi.

''What is going on?'' Muttered Kiba as he stared in disbelief at the scene.

''I didn't know those two...'' Said Chouji, mirroring Kiba's astonishment. He didn't want to keep intruding in such an intimate moment for Naruto but he just couldn't take his eyes off just like the rest of his friends.

At the same time, several of the villagers started whispering among themselves. Some seemed just surprised, others looked happy for the couple, others looked embarrassed to watch an intimate scene between lovers, while some others were looking in indignation.

Ino was swooning over the turn of events but she could start to notice her friends and the rest of the citizens started muttering all around. She didn't want Naruto and Kurotsuchi's moment to go sour so she thought of something.

''Okay! Now that our hero is back let's celebrate by tossing Naruto in the air!'' Declared Ino.

''Yeah, let's show our gratitude to the hero!'' Someone from the crowd shouted.

''Great idea!''

Naruto and Kurotsuchi broke their kiss once they noticed everyone coming for them.

Naruto tried to calm them down. ''Wait you don't have to-''

''Let's throw the two lovebirds together!''

''Wait, me too?!'' Exclaimed Kurotsuchi.

But before any of them could keep complaining about it, they were already being tossed to the air only to be caught again and repeat the action.

Kurotsuchi squirmed for a moment as she fell, but upon noticing that despite what he had said earlier, Naruto had a huge grin on his face.

Kurotsuchi smiled at the sight. Naruto had tried to play it cool but it was obvious that he was enjoying all this attention. in that case, she was gladly going to let herself enjoy this moment with him.

Ino sighed in relief. She had successfully managed to divert everyone's attention from the kiss, at least for the moment.

 _''Some ANBU guard I am''_ Thought Yugao as she regarded all that had happened. Now everyone in the village would know about Naruto and Kurotsuchi being in love. And Yugao had failed in keeping it secret. Now she was gonna get it with the Hokage, well as soon as she woke up that is.

Even so, Yugao couldn't help but smile at the cheerful faces of those two love-struck idiots, despite knowing that she should be angry. Even after all of this she was happy for them.

Still, her smile vanished and a frown took its place as she remembered that things could get ugly. Not everyone was going to approve of their relationship and it might bring them trouble in the future, and afyer they had started earning the village's approval.

The ANBU captain spotted the Hyuga heiress hiding away from the crowd. She was weeping in her hands uncontrollably trying to sooth her broken heart while Neji was beside her putting his hand on her shoulder showing her support.

It was this soon and people already had a problem with their relationship, and they were Naruto's friends. Once powerful and bitter people got word of this, things were going to get complicated.

Yugao knew that Naruto and Kurotsuchi could tell the whole world to piss off but things weren't that simple, they never were. Especially because of who they were. Their teenage naivety could only get them so far against an entire world that wanted them separated.

All in all, one thing was for sure, Naruto and Kurotsuchi's love was going to be put to the test in a not so distant future.

 **Author's notes:**

 **Here it is guys! I had hopes that the chapter turned out longer but oh well.**

 **So, the cat is out of the bag now, at least in Konoha. This will have some repercussions, obviously. Some good, some bad. And not to mention the impact that this will have in Naruto's friends. We have seen a bit of their reaction here but we will see more of those. Not to mention that a lof of people really want to see Hinata's reactions more in depth, and all I have to say is have patience. Hinata is not the kind of character that would cause a ruckus. Heck, she is so shy that she was ready to let a bunch of other girls steal Naruto away from her in The Last. I'm just saying that if you Are hoping to see a big drama caused by her you might be a bit dissapointed. But that doesn't mean that she will do nothing, she will, just wait.**

 **I'm having trouble deciding on what I'm gonna do with the Kage summit arc. I have a lot of ideas but I can't decide on one.**

 **The good news is that once the Kage Summit arc is over shit will get good, and I mean really good. At least I think so.**

 **That's all for now I think, please review or PM. until next time!**


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